Reminisces Through Rhymes
by Shiori's Notebook
Summary: Childhood. A magical moment for old friends like Natsume and Mikan. They both belong to one of the most prosperous families in the world. If they found out they’re betrothed to each other, what will happen? Will they remain friends and relive the moments
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: GAKUEN ALICE BELONGS TO HIGUCHI TACHIBANA.**

**Summary: **Childhood. A magical moment for old friends like Natsume and Mikan. They both belong to one of the most prosperous families in the world. If they found out they're betrothed to each other, what will happen? Will they remain friends and relive the moments shared one faithful day?

-

**Author's Notes:** Okay! I'm back with a whole new story! I hope you'll support this new fic like my others! This idea actually came from my other GA fic 'Kindergarten' but this one is AU. I'm also planning to make a sequel to my first fic, 'Crossing Paths' but when I made its first chapter- I wasn't satisfied cause this ideas was bugging me! Please don't forget to leave a review in the end! I really put a lot of effort in making this! Thanks and enjoy!

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_**Dedicated to musicandlyrics **_**:D**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**Reminisces Through Rhymes**

**By 'orange-ideas'**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**XoXo… **_**PROLOGUE **_**…oXoX**

_**-RAIN- **_

_**-**_

_**-**_

**November 27**

**-**

**-**

"_It's raining, It's pouring_

_The old man is snoring._

_He went to bed_

_And bumped his head._

_He couldn't get up in the morning!"_

A little girl, with long auburn hair tied in two braids, sang the rhyme as she watched the droplets of rain fall from the window, covering her view of the garden, particularly, the Sakura tree that she was fond of. She sat on the floor crossed legged, still wearing her dainty pink dress.

A Japanese bobtail with the Mi-ke color combination lay on her legs purring contently as she strokes its fur gently.

"Oh Tama…" the girl said sighing.

The door opened and a young woman, wearing the white-and-black maid's uniform entered. The brunette glanced at the person and gave a small smile.

"Misaki-san…" And she went back to watching the rain and stroking her cat.

The young woman stood behind her. Then she spoke up.

"Gomen Mikan-chama. I know how excited you were to attend the party but…" She stood at the child's back, fiddling with her fingers looking extremely sorry.

"Huh? Why so sad Misaki-san? It's not your fault father couldn't attend the party with me. Besides, it's really raining hard outside. The birthday boy must be really upset about this…" was the answer of the little girl giving a faint smile.

Beneath that smile of hers, the maid could see, was sadness and disappointment. If it was to be called a smile that is. It was forced. And Misaki knew it very well after spending most of the time with her.

"Oh Mikan-chama…" said Misaki-san, one of the girl's governesses. "Are you sure you're alright about this?"

"Well… what I'm really sad about is that father still has to go to work…" she looked sadly at the raindrops dripping from the window.

Then she felt arms embrace her from behind. "Your father is really busy Mikan-chama." Misaki said pulling her closer.

"I know", she sighed. "But I wish he was busy with me. Oh Misaki-san, sometimes I get the feeling he was going to attend the party _only _because the celebrant is the son of one of his business partners… Ah! Business, business, business. Is that what he only has time for?" Tears welled up in her eyes.

Misaki didn't reply but hugged the girl tighter. She pitied the girl. For the 5 years she spent with her, even when she was still an infant, she knew how lonely she was. Not having parents to care, Misaki, together with her aunt who also serves the Sakura family, practically raised the child. They were like sisters. But still, Misaki could never manage to make her smile, a genuine smile when it was about her father. It always had a mixture of sadness.

Mikan enjoyed the company of her onee-chan, as she calls her. Misaki is like a big sister and a best friend. She loves her a lot and knows Misaki will do anything to make her happy. She felt lucky to have someone like her. But still, she wants the attention of her father.

The 2 stayed in that position for a while, sitting in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable silence. It was serenity. Enjoying each other's company… and comforting emotions of sadness. Then suddenly, Tama snuggled out from Mikan's hold and ran towards the door, the bell on its bow jingling. Tama scratched the door ever so lightly, and as if on cue, it opened up.

An old woman, about in her 50's stepped in. Tama went towards her and she picked her up. Then she glanced at the two, looking annoyed and walked towards them, her hands on her hips. Her black hair with few gray strands was tied up in a bun and she had a few wrinkles on her face. She frowned a bit at the two, looking displeased.

"Misaki-san. Please. For the thousandth time I had been calling you to make the snack for our princess." The lady said sighing. When she said 'Princess' she meant Mikan.

For most people, calling somebody a 'Princess' meant the person is a spoiled brat or she is too 'refined'. But this moniker was different for Mikan. This nickname was given to Mikan, for she always imagines being the princess in the fairytales in Himiko-san's stories.

Himiko Harada is the name of the lady in front of them. She is the old aunt of Misaki and one of the Sakura family's trusted attendants. She has been with them ever since Mikan's father's toddler years. She has been taking care of Mikan ever since she was born. Himiko-san is like a grandmother to her. She is just as precious to Mikan as Misaki is.

Mikan giggled and watched Misaki drag her lazy butt outside to attend to her duties.

She then rubbed the tears from her eyes.

Grandma Himiko put down Tama and it followed Misaki to the kitchen.

When Misaki closed the door, her obaa-san kneeled in front of her and used her handkerchief to wipe Mikan's tears.

"Mikan-chama, how many times do I have to tell you not to rub your eyes?" said the kind voice of Himiko, smiling down at her.

Mikan hugged her obaa-san and cried lightly in her chest. "I want my daddy…" cried the princess.

"Hush dear. Don't worry, he says he'll be here in time for dinner-"

"NO! He still won't have time for me… He'll have some visitors and ignore me again!" she cried.

It was always like this. Always.

"If only mother was still alive…" said the young brunette.

Himiko frowned and pitied the girl. She stroked Mikan's hair softly, trying to comfort her.

"The rain will pass…" her obaa-san said.

And Mikan dozed asleep in her arms.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

"_Rain, rain go away,_

_Come again another day._

_My Natsume-kun wants to play_

_Rain, rain go away."_

"Mother! I'm not a kid anymore, I'm 6 years old now!" said a little boy with raven hair and crimson eyes sitting on her mother's lap.

"Not a kid anymore? But you'll always be my baby." The woman said pulling the little boy, named Natsume, closer.

"Humph! I don't remember you doing this to onii-chan!" he said crossing his arms in front of his stomach.

"Oh? So you don't want your mommy around anymore?" Natsume's mother said sadly.

Natsume looked at her. "That's not what I mean." He said looking at her directly in the eye.

She smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "You grow up too fast Natsume."

"I do not", he said annoyed.

"I'm sorry if your birthday party got cancelled baby."

"It's not your fault that it rained." He replied.

"I know. But it makes me sad seeing you sad. I'll make it up to you next time, I promise."

Natsume sighed. "It's really not your fault-"

"I know! Why don't we go to the amusement park next time? Just the two of us." She said.

"What about dad and onii-chan?" he asked his bangs covering his eyes. He had a tone of disappointment in his voice.

His mother's face suddenly turned down. "Well… they're busy Natsume…"

"Just like always. I should really stop hoping… I always end up getting disappointed in the end…" he answered.

Then he felt his mother embrace him tight. He hugged her back.

"But then, if we don't hope, that means we never will have a chance then? Even if it is just a tiny speck, it changes everything." She replied.

Natsume smiled a bit. He could always count on his mother to be his own hope.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-**

**-**

**December 24**

**-**

**-**

Mikan peered behind the curtain at the guests in the Sakura mansion. Her father, the president of _Silver Lining Corporation, _always held extravagant Christmas parties inviting his colleagues, business partners and their families. It was always a formal occasion that Mikan rarely saw kids of her age in the party. The ballroom hall was decorated beautifully and there was an enormous Christmas tree in the middle. The men and women wore tuxes and evening gowns and they danced in the music of the octet.

Mikan saw her father in the middle, talking animatedly to the guests with a wine glass half full in his hand. She had a sudden urge to approach him. She frowned a bit, thinking that if she would go over there, he'll just push her away or ignore her since he's too 'busy' mingling.

"You look really lovely in that dress Mikan-chama", a voice familiar voice said.

Mikan turned around and saw it was Misaki with Tama.

"Misaki-san! Tama!" The cat leaped into her arms.

"Having fun princess?" she asked.

Mikan just smiled. Then she remembered. "But what are you doing here? I thought obaa-san needed you in the kitchen?"

Misaki sighed. "She says I'm too noisy. It's not my fault I whistle while I work." She winked at her. Mikan giggled. "So she told me to keep an eye on Tama, incase she tries to go to that umm… crowd and scare half the females."

Mikan stroked Tama's fur and continued to watch them. Misaki stepped beside her.

"Why don't you go down there and have fun?" she suggested.

"Fun? But there are adults." Mikan replied.

"The more reason to liven up the party. Come on! There's bound to be some kid amidst that 'population'. Let's see… There! See that raven haired boy standing beneath the Christmas tree? He seems friendly enough." Misaki said looking at Mikan.

"I don't know… I'm not really used to-"

"Making friends? You won Miss Friendship in that Little Pageant you joined when you were still nursery!"

"I meant making friends with boys." She replied.

"It'll be fine." And Misaki gave her a slight push.

Mikan, now unconcealed from behind the curtain, walked down the stairs nervously towards the boy. She was so anxious that she forgot, she had Tama with her. It was a long walk towards her 'destination'. She received a couple of stares, greetings and compliments from people she doesn't know. It was hard keeping a smiling face while inside she was nervous and embarrassed.

Mikan finally saw the boy from a close distance. Aside from his raven hair, the boy had deep crimson eyes and a bored expression. Mikan thought he looked cute, but quite enigmatic as well. Then he saw her looking at him and her bright hazel eyes locked with his dull crimson ones. She felt a different sensation in her body. Mikan flashed a smile to him. Her anxiousness disappeared.

"Nice to meet you! My name is Mikan Sakura! What's yours?" she said.

The boy stared at Tama before replying. "Natsume. Natsume Hyuuga."

"Oh! So you're the birthday boy! I'm very sorry if I wasn't able to attend."

"It's okay. It rained anyway so it got cancelled."

"Oh… sorry."

"You say sorry too much." Natsume said.

"Huh? What did you say?"

He shook his head. "Never mind. So is that your cat?"

Mikan nodded. "Uh-huh. This is Tama, she's a Japanese bobtail."

Natsume went closer and stroked its fur, Tama purred in delight. Tama jumped unto him.

"Wow! She likes you Natsume-kun!" Mikan said.

"She does? I never had a pet cat before. I'm more of a dog person."

"Well Tama is a gift from my dad. See her color combination, it's called----" And they continued chatting.

------

An hour later, Mrs. Hyuuga began to look for her son.

"Tsubasa", she asked her eldest. "Have you seen Natsume?"

"No. I haven't seen the brat anywhere." He replied dully.

Mrs. Hyuuga frowned. Where could he have gone to?

Then she heard sounds of giggling at her back. She looked behind and her son was sitting on the stairs with a girl she recognized as Mikan Sakura. They were happily chatting and laughing like old friends.

"I haven't seen him so happy like that with his other age mates", she thought smiling. And she went off to find her husband.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

"Do you think it's really true that cats have nine lives?" Mikan asked.

She stroked Tama's fur who lay on her lap, napping.

"I don't know. Why don't we try it?" Natsume said.

"NO!"

Mikan suddenly grabbed a fistful of Tama's fur in surprise and the cat ran away scared.

"Oh no! Tama! Look what you did Natsume!" and she ran after her.

"I was just joking!" Natsume said following her.

-

Misaki, who was watching from a far, slapped her forehead. She forgot to get Tama from Mikan! She chased after them.

-

"Tama! Tama! Where are you Tama?" Mikan called out in the deserted hallway.

"Where could that cat be?" Natsume said out loud, looking behind a big jar.

"Tama! Come back!" Mikan cried out desperately.

She was close to tears.

Natsume felt partly guilty. He sighed and held out his hand.

Mikan looked at him confused.

"Mother told me that as a 6 year old, I should act more responsibly now. Since you're just a kid and a cry baby, I'll help you look for it…" he said looking away.

Mikan smiled and took his hand.

"Arigato Natsume-kun!" Mikan said.

-

"AH! Natsume-kun look! Tama! She went over there!" Mikan released her hand and ran towards the open room where Tama went.

Natsume followed after her.

The room was dark and cold. A bit of moonlight shined the room but it wasn't enough. The wind blew and the curtains flew back almost hitting Mikan on the face. She shivered. There was nothing much in the room. She could see a few armchairs, a coffee table, a carpeted floor, like any other room in the mansion, a shelf of old books but that's about it.

Mikan has never been in this part of the mansion before. She always feared it would be storming with ghosts. The Sakura mansion was quite old. It belonged to her great-grandparents. She knew, in time, this place will be passed on to her as well, along with the company.

"Tama?" Her voice echoed throughout the room.

"Is there a switch here or maybe a lamp?" Natsume said, looking for it.

They bumped at each other and fell on their behinds. Another cold yet this time, stronger, wind blew. The door closed shut.

Natsume stood up to open the door but it won't budge. The door knob must be broken.

"HEY! Open up! Get us out of here!" Natsume banged his fists on the door.

Then Mikan heard a meow and some scratching of cushions.

"Tama!" she cried running towards her cat.

Tama was scratching an old armchair. But when she saw Mikan, she stopped and ran towards her. Mikan hugged her tight.

"Oh Tama, of all the places, why did you bring us here?"

"Meow", it replied as if understanding. It leaped from her arms and ran towards a side table where an old book lay.

Natsume stopped banging on the wall and walked towards her.

The leather bound book had the title engraved in gold in the front.

_Nursery Rhymes_

"This is… my mother's…" Mikan said carefully opening the book.

No doubt about it. _Sayako Miyake, _her mother's maiden name, was scribbled on the first page.

"I want to show this to dad." Mikan said hugging it.

"I couldn't open the door." Natsume said shrugging. He carried Tama in his arms.

"Then we'll wait then. Misaki-san must be looking for us. Someone's bound to notice." Mikan said. Being stuck in a place like this didn't worry her much. In fact, she was happy. She found something wonderful.

"Fine." And Natsume sat on the floor, stroking Tama.

"I know. Let's read some nursery rhymes to pass the time." She said gleefully.

Mikan sat down beside her and turned the page.

_To be continued…_

-

-

-

**XoXoXoX **_END NOTES _**XoXoXoX**

**-chama**_: is a modified word of '-sama', it is used to refer to a young lord/lady or master_

**Mi-ke color**_: most popular color of a Japanese bobtail, red, black, and white combination. Tradition says that a cat with this coloring brings good luck._

**Onee-chan**_: older sister_

**Obaa-san**_: grandmother_

**Arigato**_: Thank you_

**Well, how was it? Don't worry, the whole fic is not going to be focused on Natsume and Mikan as kids. For every chapter, there'll be a flashback of moments wherein they were stuck in the room followed by a nursery rhyme related to the chapter- if I can find one that is! Please review! Well, see you! **

'**orange-ideas'**


	2. Chapter 1: CrookeD

**DISCLAIMER: GAKUEN ALICE BELONGS TO HIGUCHI TACHIBANA.**

**-**

_**For winglessfairy25, my senpai**_

_**-**_

**XoXo… **_**CHAPTER ONE **_**…oXoX**

**-**

_**-CROOKED-**_

**-**

**-**

**-**

"_You know, Himiko-san always tells me fairytales and nursery rhymes every night. She told me that when I was born, my mother told her to look for her old book where her favorite nursery rhymes are written. She compiled them and even made her own, just for me. My mother used to be a writer you know…" She told Natsume._

"_Hn. I'm already too old to listen to those. But still, mother still recites some to me whenever I couldn't sleep or when I'm sad even if I told her not to." He replied nonchalantly. _

_Mikan felt a pang of jealousy and anger._

"_You're lucky to have a caring mother you know…" she said sadly._

_Natsume looked at her and felt guilty. "I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry." _

_Mikan read aloud the nursery rhyme._

_-_

'_There was a crooked man,_

_And he walked a crooked mile,_

_He found a crooked sixpence_

_Against a crooked stile;_

_He bought a crooked cat,_

_Which caught a crooked mouse,_

_And they all lived together_

_In a little crooked house.'_

**-**

**-**

**8 YEARS LATER**

**-**

**-**

**PRESENT TIME**

**-**

**-**

The gates of the Sakura mansion opened and the car drove in. A teenage boy, about the age of 14, with raven hair and crimson eyes sat at the back, listening to his iPod. He was wearing the Gakuen Alice, Middle School division, boys' uniform.

Gakuen Alice is a prestigious private school in the country. Children of high-ranking officials, successful businessmen, scholars of other countries, study there. Anyone would be proud to be a student in that school which they call an 'Alice'. The teachers are professionals. They have a lot of experiences and are known world-wide. The campus is found at the end of the city, free from pollution and other impurities. Only the best of the best study there. It doesn't matter how rich you are if you don't have a brain then you don't qualify. If you're a poor yet your intellect is outstanding, you may become one of the academy's scholars.

For Natsume Hyuuga, entering the school was just a piece of cake. But things are different for his best friend.

-

Mikan Sakura, aged 14, looked at the mirror and smiled. Her hair was tied in one pony and she put on two glittering hairclips on one side. She checked her silver earrings and smoothed out her skirt. Once she was satisfied, she grabbed her messenger bag and walked out of her room, giving her cat, Tama, a pat on the head.

"See you later Misaki-san!" the cheerful brunette called out. She glanced at her watch and rushed towards the door. She opened it and just in time, the car stopped in front of it.

A male servant opened it for her and she thanked him. She slid inside and the car drove off.

Natsume, her long-time childhood friend AND best GUY friend sat there listening nonchalantly not even bothering to look at her or greet her.

"Good morning Natsume-kun!" Mikan said hugging him lightly as always.

Natsume rolled his eyes and took of his earphones. "How can someone be so perky in a Monday morning?"

"I'm just happy that summer break is over! I can't wait to see our other classmates!" she said gleefully.

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Grow up will you."

Mikan looked at him annoyed. "Why are you in a bad mood? You frown so often you look terrible!"

"Oh really," he had a mischievous grin. "Then why do girls find it so appealing?"

It was Mikan's turn to frown. "Not all girls find it appealing." She said.

"Oh yeah? I dare you to say one girl who doesn't." he said looking at her eye to eye.

She stared back, not blinking.

"Well there's Hotaru." She said.

"No duh. She's with Ruka, remember?" he pointed out.

Hotaru Imai is also Mikan's best friend who is in the same grade as them. She's a scholar e and she's been studying in Gakuen Alice for as long as Mikan could remember. Ruka Nogi is her boyfriend, also a friend of them. He's the son of a government official, and like Natsume, he's one of the school's heartthrobs. Hotaru and Ruka just started going out last year and they seem to be okay together.

Mikan thought for another girl who doesn't fancy Natsume. It was hard. Even nerds go head over heels in love with Natsume and **she doesn't have the faintest idea what they saw in him. **

"Wait a sec! That's it!" she thought.

"I'm waiting." He said grinning. Natsume loved winning and outsmarting people. In fact, he's a genius in class aside from being popular.

"I know somebody", Mikan grinned back. "Me." She said.

Natsume's grin suddenly disappeared. His brows furrowed. "You're not included." He said.

Then for some reason, he looked away.

"And why not?" she demanded.

" 'Cause… You're not a girl…" he said.

Mikan was shocked. "Am too, you idiot!"

"You're the idiot! I meant that you're my childhood friend! How can I see you as a girl when we used to be thick as thieves back then!" he said.

Mikan stared at him. Somehow, she was hurt by what he said.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

A few minutes later, they arrived at Gakuen Alice. Mikan thanked the driver and got off, excited to see her friends again. She took a deep breath. The atmosphere of the academy made her feel nostalgic.

"Hurry Natsume!" she said.

Natsume got off. As if on cue, dozens of females came rushing towards him. Mikan was left in the back view and just stared at them.

"How are you Natsume-kun?" one asked fluttering her eyelashes.

"Natsume, let's have lunch later!" another said.

"Yes! And you can tell us all about your vacation!" another agreed.

Natsume looked annoyed. He ignored them and looked for Mikan. He saw her standing there and looking at him with a blank expression on her face.

"Excuse me." He said to the girls and walked towards Mikan. The females were shocked by what he did.

"Come on. Let's go", he said to her.

Without hesitating, she followed him to the academy, not daring to look back.

What Mikan saw made her realize that he was right, Girls do fancy him a lot. And she finally understood what he said earlier on. _'You're not a girl…'_

Clearly, he will never see her like other females or as 'something more than a friend'. And she will never see him differently than her childhood playmate.

They're just friends and nothing more.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

"Good Morning!" Mikan greeted her classmates as she entered. Natsume trailed behind her.

She took her seat at the back of her friend, Hotaru Imai.

"Morning Hotaru! Oh I missed you!" she said.

"Yeah…" was the stoic girl's reply. She was too busy reading a book to look at her and greet her properly.

"Good morning to you too Ruka!" she said at the boy who was sitting beside Hotaru. He just nodded back.

Natsume sat beside Mikan, their usual sitting arrangement. Sitting beside her meant less fan girls, yet more noise.

-

The day went by quickly. It was a normal school day like any other. Assignments were piled up as usual and quizzes and graded recitations are due the next day.

This was a hassle for Mikan. Her daily tutor went on vacation for a week. This meant more scolding from Mr. Jinno.

"Oh! What will I do? The math lesson today is SOOOO hard!" Mikan complained as she and Natsume sat on the bench.

Natsume let her complain. He took a sip from his soda and watched time fly.

"Natsume! I don't want to fail and be kicked out of the academy! That would be a disgrace to the Sakura family! Mom would be so disappointed…" she said.

He glanced at her. She had her head bent.

"No need to get so dramatic." He said.

"But I-" he cut her off.

"It's not like they'll kick you out for failing a quiz tomorrow."

"So you really think I'll fail it, don't you?" she said sadly.

Natsume looked at her for a moment. Then he sighed.

"You're making it seem like I'm a cold and heartless friend." He said looking away.

She looked at him, confused.

"No need to worry. I'll do my best to fill that empty brain of yours."

Mikan smiled and hugged him. "Thank you Natsume!"

He smiled secretly.

"Hey wait! Did you just call me stupid?"

Natsume smirked. "Now why would I do that to the almighty Mikan Sakura, favorite of Jinno-sensei", he teased.

Mikan fumed. "NATSUME!"

And that was a regular afternoon. Little did they know that it would change… very soon.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

"_Yes. I think it is time to tell them." A man with auburn hair said._

"_But… do you think they'll agree to it?" a woman with ebony hair said in a worried tone. Beside her, a stern looking man stood._

"_My son has to. In fact, he __**must.**__" He said._

_The man with auburn hair nodded. "It's for the best. I know my Mikan will understand."_

_The woman sighed. "Well… it's good that they're friends…" she said sadly._

_Her thoughts drifted to her son and his playmate, the little brunette whom she grew fond of as well._

"_I hope you will understand…" she whispered to herself._

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-Later- **

**-Sakura mansion- **

**-Library-**

"See? Now that's how you solve it." said Natsume putting down the pencil.

"Oh… I get it now…" Mikan said.

He rolled his eyes. "You better. I explained it to you thrice in a row."

"Okay. I'll try answering this problem-"

The door opened. Misaki entered.

"Excuse me, but your parents want to see you." She said.

"Dad's here?" Mikan said brightening up.

"Parents? Even mine?" Natsume was curious what they were doing here.

Misaki nodded.

Natsume and Mikan looked at each other, confused.

They went downstairs.

-

Mr. Sakura and Mr. and Mrs. Hyuuga were sitting on the armchairs of the guestroom.

Then Mikan and Natsume entered.

"Mikan…" Mr. Sakura smiled and motioned for his daughter to sit beside him.

Mikan glanced first at Natsume before taking a seat.

"Natsume." His mother called.

Natsume sat beside her. He glanced at his father who didn't even acknowledge him.

"What's all this?" Mikan said.

"Clearly it has something to do with business." Natsume replied clenching his fists. He was pissed of his father's presence. He ignored him once again.

Mr. Hyuuga looked at him sternly. "You speak when you're told to." He said in a cold voice.

Natsume glared at him.

Mrs. Hyuuga placed a hand on Natsume's clenched fist and gave him a faint smile. He looked at his mother, his features softening.

Mr. Sakura cleared his throat. "Natsume, you and my daughter have been friends for so long, haven't you?"

"Yes." He replied.

"Yes _sir._ Clearly, what is the academy teaching you", said Mr. Hyuuga.

Mikan glanced at Natsume with a worried expression.

"Well anyway, Silver lining Corporation and Twilight Corporation have done so well the past years", he continued.

"We have been business partners for as long as I can remember. But seeing as though I have no son to replace me", Mikan frowned as she heard this. Natsume looked at her. "And it would be a waste if another family will inherit this corporation, who knows what they'll do to it. So we decided to join both businesses." Mr. Sakura said.

Natsume looked at him curiously. "What does that have to do with us? Tsubasa will inherit the company. I think you should include him in the meeting and not me."

"NATSUME!" his father's voice boomed.

Mrs. Hyuuga tried to calm him down.

"Natsume, what I meant is that your brother will run the Twilight Corporation but not the new corporation that will be formed." Mr. Sakura explained.

"I see… but who will run it?" he asked.

"You and my daughter of course." He said smiling a bit.

Natsume and Mikan's eyes grew wide.

"Father, I don't understand", Mikan said.

"It simple", said Mr. Hyuuga crossing his arms. "You two will be bound in **matrimony.**"

It took Mikan and Natsume a while to fully understand what he said or maybe just to recover.

"WHAT?!?" they said at the same time.

"Natsume and I… will get married?!?" said a distressed Mikan.

-

Outside, Misaki and the other maids, who were eavesdropping, are fanning Himiko-san who just collapsed in shock.

-

"But dad! How can I marry my best friend?!?" Mikan said.

The world must have gone _crooked._

_Nothing will ever be the same again._

_To be continued…_

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews! Please keep on R&R! Well, ja ne!**

**-'orange-ideas'**


	3. Chapter 2: CAKE Something Sweet

**DISCLAIMER: GAKUEN ALICE BELONGS TO HIGUCHI TACHIBANA.**

**XoXo… **_**CHAPTER TWO **_**…oXoX**

**-**

**- CAKE- Something Sweet-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

"_Oh! Here's another nice rhyme!" Mikan said cheerfully._

_Natsume peered at the page and read the title "Pat-A-Cake. What a weird title." He said._

"_Do you like cakes Natsume-kun?" she asked._

"_Yeah… but not those that are too sweet cause I don't like sweets that much." He replied._

"_I love sweets! I love chocolate cakes the best! Himiko-san always makes one for me, every time it's my birthday."_

"_My mother bakes too. She knows if the cake I'd eat is too sweet or lacking." Natsume said._

_Mikan started reading the rhyme._

'_Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man_

_Bake me a cake as fast as you can;_

_Pat it and prick it and mark it with a B,_

_And put it in the oven for baby and me.'_

**-**

**-**

**-**

**PRESENT TIME**

**-**

**-**

Mikan lay on her bed awake for sometime. She still couldn't get the idea of her and Natsume getting married. It was impossible.

Natsume was a heartthrob and a genius in school. While she is the childlike, campus cutie- but still called a klutz! That didn't match up together. Besides, they're best friends!

How can their parents expect them to fall in love and get married while all they feel for each other is… friendship and… fondness?

Then an idea struck her. Their parents didn't care about what they feel towards each other.

Their marriage is an arranged one… a forced marriage.

"Oh mother…" Mikan said, her face buried in her pillow.

She had been tossing and turning all night trying to get as comfortable to let sleep carry her away from her thoughts.

Mikan has also been worrying on how to face Natsume tomorrow. They barely said their good-byes earlier on, which was very unusual for them to feel uncomfortable around each other.

"He's my best friend… I can't marry him!" she said to herself.

Mikan then imagined herself in a wedding dress and walking towards the altar with Natsume at her side wearing a tux. She then shook the image away from her mind.

"Stop thinking about those thoughts!" she scolded herself. Her face had a shade of pink.

"…_seeing as though I have no son to replace me. It would be a waste if another family will inherit this corporation, who knows what they'll do to it."_

"A son huh?" Mikan thought sadly.

She had never become the daughter her father could be proud of. But maybe, if she was a boy, her father might even give some effort in spending time with her.

"I'm no use…" she thought. "But maybe this marriage won't be a waste after all… dad will be happy and proud of me… that's what I always wanted… right?"

She looked over at her side table. There was a picture frame of her 5-year-old self and her father, taken during the summer. As far as she can remember, it was only one of the few pictures she had together with her father. Most of her pictures taken were with… Natsume.

Mikan groaned and covered her face with the blanket.

"I hate this…" she said to herself.

**-**

**-Natsume's Room-**

**-**

He sat on the cold floor of his balcony, looking at the stars, recounting the incident that occurred. He remembered the stunned look on her face, the indifference and coldness of his father's voice and the rapid beating of his heart.

Natsume felt a sudden urge to hit something, yet controlled himself, thinking of Mikan who scolded him every time he did that. She must have been astounded as he was; getting up on a usual day, doing normal activities then later finding out you were engaged to your best friend. That didn't usually happen to everyone. Then he recalled that Mikan was not a kind of person who adapts easily to changes. It would take sometime before she could finally accept what happened, longer than him.

"Things would never be the same again…" he thought.

"… _You're my childhood friend! How can I see you as a girl when we used to be thick as thieves back then!" _he recalled saying that to her.

Funny when you suddenly talk of trivial things at the time it would happen soon.

It finally struck him. She **is** a girl.

Natsume stood up and entered his room. He didn't even dare think of what would happen the next day.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-The Next day-**

The car stopped in front of the door. Mikan was standing there, waiting patiently and quietly. Her cheeks had a shade of pink and she had her fingers entwined with each other, as if praying. When she saw that the car was approaching, she stood still, nervous.

The door was opened for her and she slid in.

Inside, her now fiancé, was looking at the opposite direction. Surprisingly, or not, he wasn't listening to his iPod as usual. He didn't give a glance to Mikan as she sat beside him, but flinched a bit in surprise when the door opened for her. He must have been lost in his thoughts to not notice they arrived at the Sakura mansion.

Mikan on the other hand, tried to act as casual as before but failing miserably for she couldn't sit still for one bit. She didn't give him her usual greeting which composes of a friendly hug and a warm smile.

A few words can make a big difference.

The car drove off to school.

**-**

"Well? What are you waiting for? Talk to him Mikan!" she thought and stole a quick glance at Natsume. "You've known him for years! Why do you find it so hard to greet him a good morning!" she scolded herself in her mind.

As she was about to speak, Natsume beat her to it.

"Not perky today huh?" his voice sounded so casual.

Mikan thought of something 'witty' to reply. His usual remarks to her were mostly insults and she knew that what he said was one of them, said indirectly. But she couldn't think of anything at the moment. She never really gave _thought_ on the things she said to him since she's already used to his company.

"Umm… guess so." Was all she could say.

"Are you ready for the math test?"

Mikan just nodded in reply.

Natsume looked at her with an expression she couldn't understand. Then his brows furrowed.

"Stop acting like that." He snapped at her.

Mikan shyly looked away.

"I never thought that you're a kind of a girl who gets offended easily."

She didn't reply.

Natsume got more irritated and rolled his eyes. "You're acting stupid over such a small problem you idiot."

And that struck a nerve.

"As if you care you cold-hearted freak." She replied, quite harshly than she intended to. Realizing that, she kept quiet and avoided eye contact.

They were almost at the school.

"Of course I care. I'm your fiancé remember?" he said.

As soon as the car stopped, Mikan got out. But before leaving, she said to him "Don't tell anybody." With that said, she hurried off, not bothering to wait for him.

Natsume closed the door behind him. He stared as she ran away.

"Of course… if others found out, they'll start acting differently… like you." He thought.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-Later-**

The students of Mikan's class had a free period that time. They had no substitute teacher so the class was so noisy.

Mikan, who was now sitting on a desk away from Natsume, glanced at the wall clock. Only ten minutes to go before the bell rings, signaling lunch break. She stood up and went towards Hotaru who was quietly reading a book on her desk.

-

"Hotaru, do you wanna have lunch together?" Mikan asked politely.

Not even looking up, the stoic girl replied "We always have lunch together."

"I know. But I was thinking, maybe we could have a picnic or something, just us girls." Mikan suggested.

Hotaru looked up. "I'm busy. Why don't you ask Natsume instead?"

Then she noticed, by the mere mention of his name, Mikan bit her lip. "What's wrong with her?" she thought.

For almost the half day of school, she noticed that Mikan has been avoiding Natsume. Maybe they had a fight and got angry at each other, but it wasn't possible since they ARE always irritated by each others presence. She looked over at Natsume and saw him casually talking to Ruka. Nothing seemed different with him. So what could've happened?

"Please Hotaru…" Mikan said.

Hotaru thought for a moment, and then agreed.

"Fine."

Mikan was almost surprised by her answer. "Really? You promise?" she asked.

"On one condition. You tell me what's going on between you and Natsume."

Mikan's face fell. The bell rang and the students rushed outside.

"What are you talking about?" Mikan asked trying to look indifferent at what she said.

"You're acting… more peculiar than the usual." Hotaru replied fixing her books.

Mikan forced a laugh. "You're the one who's acting weird", she faced the other direction to leave. "So I guess I'll see you later!"

And she ran out of the classroom. Hotaru watched her run away. Then she glanced at Natsume who was also watching Mikan. His expression looked dull, yet Hotaru notice that his scowl seemed less scary but more melancholy.

Hotaru stood up. "Ruka", she called.

Her boyfriend immediately stood up and waved Natsume good-bye before following Hotaru out of the classroom.

**-**

"What's up?" Ruka asked as he leaned on the wall facing Hotaru.

They were in the corridor, facing the window. Through it, Hotaru saw Mikan sitting alone under the Sakura tree.

"Have you noticed anything different about Natsume?" she asked still looking at Mikan.

"No. Why'd you ask?"

Hotaru paused for a while before replying. "Nothing. Come on, let's get some lunch."

And she started to walk away.

"Wait. Shouldn't we call Natsume and Mikan first?"

Hotaru stopped in her tracks. She glanced at Ruka.

"I have a feeling they won't be joining us today."

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Natsume walked out of the classroom a minute after Hotaru and Ruka left. He saw the couple walking towards the cafeteria. Maybe they realize that he doesn't have an appetite today.

He walked along the corridor, hoping to pass by Mikan on the way. A few girls greeted him on the way, giggling. He nodded in return. He looked everywhere but Mikan was no where to be found.

Natsume started to be annoyed. Inadvertently, he glanced outside the window. There he saw Mikan sitting alone under the Sakura tree.

"Of course!" he thought and mentally slapped himself. He turned the other way towards the stairs.

Whenever one of them felt depressed, it was accustomed that their meeting place would be under a Sakura tree. There was one in the park, in both of their homes' garden and also in school. Both Mikan and Natsume were fond of watching the cherry blossoms fall gently on the ground or be carried away by the wind. It gave them a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.

**-**

**-**

Mikan sat down on the grass, hugging her knees to her chest. She absentmindedly watched other students, mostly couples, walk by, not minding her at all. Mikan is one of the youngest and _cutest_ girls in class. With her trademark smile and cheery attitude, she has gained a lot of friends, even in other year levels. But that was just it. There was another side of Mikan. Someone who is very close to her, like Natsume, could only see. When Mikan is depressed, she could be as quiet as a mouse and nobody ever noticed she was there. When she's really angry, she's as fierce as a tiger. But when she is troubled with her thoughts, she can either be very talkative, letting all her worries come out of her mouth like a radio or, she can be meditative, as silent as the grave. For now, Mikan is being the latter part.

Maybe because she has no one to talk to for now.

Then she saw someone familiar walking towards her. It was Natsume.

She instantly put her attention back to her lunch. It was rice and beef teriyaki Misaki made and placed in a bento box. She tried to look calm and indifferent eating her lunch alone while in fact she was getting nervous at every step he took closer to her.

**-**

**-**

"Hey", Natsume said stopping in front of her, his hands in his pockets.

"Hi", was her response, not even looking up.

Natsume suddenly sat down beside her. This startled Mikan a bit.

"Did you take your lunch already?" she asked, her voice showed how uneasy felt at the moment.

He glanced at her and said, not bothering to answer her question, "Are you angry at me?"

Mikan almost dropped her chopsticks. "… of course not." She replied, her bangs covering her mien. She was so troubled that she forgot to wear her glittering hair pins today so she had to tuck her bangs against her ears to avoid covering her eyes.

"Then why are you avoiding me?" Natsume said. "And don't deny it."

Mikan frowned. She stopped eating and rested her back on the tree, she hugged her knees once more. She didn't know what to say to him. Mikan felt more embarrassed and pressured to answer because she knows that he's looking at her intently with his deep crimson eyes.

Natsume felt her uneasiness and realized that he had been too blunt towards his sensitive friend.

"I'm sorry." He said.

This surprised Mikan and forced her to look at him. They stared at each other for a moment.

"All of this… is too complicated for us… especially for you. I'm also not making it any easier for us and so…" he couldn't any word to tell her what he was feeling.

"No. I'm sorry Natsume. I shouldn't have acted like a brat… it's just too… sudden and…"

"Complicated." They said at the same time. Mikan smiled.

Natsume reached out to Mikan's face and tucked a lock of stray hair against her ear. "Want some cake?" he suddenly asked.

Mikan's brows furrowed in confusion. "Cake? All of a sudden?"

"To make it all better." Natsume said watching a cherry blossom fall unto the ground.

Then Mikan's eyes widened. She understood what he meant.

­**-**

_**Flashback**_

_**-**_

_Natsume, the age of 8, sat under the Sakura tree in the garden of the Hyuuga mansion. With a manga in hand, he easily covered his mien of sadness and fury. The blazer of his school uniform lay on the grass, a gold medal in its pocket. Today was the recognition day in his school and Natsume was the gold medalist. Like his older brother, Tsubasa, he was the top student of his class, a prodigy. His parents, particularly his father, wanted him to be really focused on his studies. And he did._

_This was the proof of his success… but not the payment for his hard work. _

_Natsume only did this so that his father might be proud of him for once, and step out from the shadow of his brother._

_But all this wasn't enough for his father. Hell, he didn't even come to his son's recognition day and that wasn't the first._

_Then he heard someone panting and fast footsteps approaching him. He dropped his manga and saw his best friend, Mikan, running towards him with 2 bulky paper bags at hand, slowing her down._

"_Natsume-kun!" she called out cheerfully._

_Mikan approached him and dropped the paper bags she was holding, the contents spilling out. Natsume was surprised at what it contained. Candies, lollipops, bubble gum, chocolates and every other sweet in the planet._

"_What's this?" he asked raising an eyebrow at her._

"_Sweets! I bought some when I accompanied Misaki-san and Himiko-san to the grocery!" she sat down beside him and started to unwrap a chocolate bar._

"_Some? It seems as if you bought all of it." he said quite seriously._

_Mikan ignored it. "Stop staring at it! Eat!" she gave a portion of the chocolate bar to him._

_Natsume just stared at her. "I'm not hungry", he said. "And I told you, I don't like sweets that much."_

_Mikan frowned. "Oh… okay." And she finished up the remaining chocolate._

_Then she ruffled the other paper bag, searching for something. Her eyes brightened when she got hold of it._

"_Here." she handed Natsume a plastic container containing a slice of cake._

_Natsume looked at her._

"_Come on! I bought that with my own money! It's not that sweet… so take it." she laid it on his lap._

_Natsume stared at it for a moment and Mikan continued to eat more candy._

"_Why are you doing this?" he suddenly asked._

_Mikan looked at him and smiled. "Have sweets, or rather, __**cake… to make it all better."**_

_**-**_

_**End of Flashback**_

_**-**_

**------------------------------------------------------------**

That afternoon, Mikan and Natsume went to a nearby café and had a cake fest. They had a contest on who can eat the most number of slices, the loser had to pay. It was a tie. Both of them had 7 slices and had gotten bloated. Natsume paid for it saying it was he who invited her to eat anyway. They ended up sitting in a bench at the park.

"Thank you Natsume-kun." Mikan said smiling sweetly.

Natsume didn't say anything at first and waited till she looked away. Then he replied "You're welcome… Mikan-chan."

Her eyes widened and she looked at him. He still had the same dull expression though he looked more relaxed this time. It had been ages ago when he last called her 'Mikan-chan' saying it was too childish.

Mikan smiled and blushed a bit.

"Hey listen…" he started to say. "… even if… you know what… I can still be your best friend, okay?" he looked at her.

Mikan nodded. She looked like a cheerful, innocent and carefree kid than a young engaged teenager.

"I won't worry yet Natsume… after all, nobody can get married at 14 yet!" she replied.

It was getting dark, the sky now had a shade of orange to violet. Together, they walked away going towards the car that was waiting for them.

Unknown to them, a couple was spying at them since they were at the café and understood the whole situation.

"I don't believe it… they're engaged…" said Ruka watching the car of their friends drive away.

His girlfriend was just as shocked at himself.

"Mikan… and Natsume… are getting married?" said Hotaru, her violet eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

**Hiya! Thanks for all those who reviewed:) I couldn't think of anymore rhymes for this chapter… this is the best that I could find and come up! If Jesse and Justin, from Full House, eat ice cream when they're down in the dumps then Mikan and Natsume eat cake! Please keep on RnR! Thanks in advance! Ja ne!**

**-'orange-ideas'**


	4. Chapter 3: Broken CrowN, Broken ImagE

**DISCLAIMER: GAKUEN ALICE BELONGS TO HIGUCHI TACHIBANA.**

**XoXo… **_**CHAPTER THREE**_**…oXoX**

**-**

**- Broken Crown, Broken Image-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

_Natsume looked at his Spiderman wrist watch. It was already 9:00 pm. They've been stuck there for about 30 minutes now. _

"_Someone's bound to notice we're gone." He thought. He looked over at his side where Mikan sat playing with Tama as if nothing was wrong._

"_Hey, do you think somebody's already looking for us?" He asked._

_Mikan looked up. "Relax Natsume-kun. I told you that Misaki-san must be looking for us right at this moment." She assured him._

"_Yeah, but isn't it weird that she hasn't found us yet?" Natsume said standing up and walking towards the door._

_She suddenly chuckled "I forgot to tell you, Misaki's not that good at hide-and-seek."_

_Natsume looked at her, annoyed. "What's so funny about that Mikan?" he said scowling._

"_Why are you so impatient to go out?" Mikan asked putting Tama down and standing up._

"_Well, why are you so relaxed knowing we've been stuck here for some time now? Aren't you scared that something might happen?" He snapped._

"_What's to fear? I'm with you." She replied shrugging._

_Natsume didn't expect that answer, he blushed. "Don't be stupid." He said looking away._

_Mikan was surprised and stuck her tongue out at him. She then sat back down and opened the book once again._

"_You're not used to doing nothing, are you?" she said skimming through it._

"_Let's just say I'm not used to being stuck in a spooky room like this." He replied looking around the gloomy room once again._

"_Don't worry Natsume-kun. Whatever happens, we'll always be together like Jack and Jill!" Mikan said gleefully._

_Natsume sat down beside her again. "Yeah right. I don't want to fall and break my crown!" He joked but kept a serious face. Mikan giggled._

_She read the rhyme written in small letters from a tattered page of the book with only the moonlight for radiance._

'_Jack and Jill went up the hill,_

_To fetch a pail of water._

_Jack fell down and broke his crown,_

_And Jill came tumbling after!'_

**-**

**-**

**-PRESENT TIME-**

**-**

**-**

It was a bright, sunny Saturday morning. The air was warm and crisp, the sky was cloudless- a perfect day to be out in the sun playing games and more. After a nice jog around the park, listening to your favorite tunes in your iPod, a nice 2-scoop ice cream in a sugar cone would be perfect. Sitting under the shade of the Sakura tree, licking the ice cream- savoring its sweetness and the way it cools your tongue, or perhaps the whole body. That is what Mikan Sakura envisioned as she stared outside the library window into the garden. Unfortunately for her, summer has passed, and now it's autumn. She watched how the dried leaves fall unto the ground, joining with the other dried leaves.

"It'll be a hassle again for the gardeners to clean that up, maybe I can help them…" a thought formed in her head. "I could make another collage of leaves! Then I'd frame it and put it in the library…"

She eyed the circular shaped room, surrounded with shelves of books, a giant globe, a few tables and armchairs, a fireplace, an old Grandfather's clock and one giant window adorned the room. There were some medals and certificates of her father and a giant map of the world that looks like it was written centuries ago using a feather and a bottle of ink to write on that big piece of parchment. Years ago, Mikan used to imagine that it was a pirate's treasure map, Natsume always said it's impossible since there were no markings or signs of the treasure and compass marks on it. Plus, it would be such a hassle to bring that big of map unto the ship.

The map was about the only thing that fascinated her in the library for after spending hours inside, she could say that the library looked…

"Dull." Mikan thought. Her eyes drifted unto the scattered papers, pens and highlighters, books and notebooks on the table. She sighed. Seeing that sight made everything more boring than the usual.

The clock struck twelve and the sound echoed through out the room. Mikan sat back in front of the table. She was waiting for her tutor to arrive. "He's an hour late." She said to herself.

But then 'fashionably late' would be a better term considering it was her 'tutor' after all.

She leaned back, put her hands at the back of her head and propped her feet on the table imitating Natsume. "Where could he be?" she thought annoyed. Mikan was used to her tutor being late, but this was later than usual. Could something have happened?

She tried to think of something else to do to pass her time and maybe lessen the irritation she was feeling. Then her thoughts drifted to her best friend.

"What would Natsume do in a situation like this?" she thought. "Well considering his attitude, he must have left this place ages ago if my tutor is just 5 minutes late."

"He'll sit like this and glare at the ceiling. Then he'll say 'Damn!'" she said doing it too.

"He'll stand up and leave his books just as they are and won't even bother to push the chair back to its proper place." She imitated.

"He'd grumpily march towards the door and he'll bang the door behind him, the whole house will shake." Mikan sniggered, this was getting fun.

As she was about to bang the door shut, a person appeared in front of her.

"Oi." The person was a male, had deep voice and seemed irritated. His laid back stance, hands in his pockets seemed familiar.

Mikan squeaked and fell. She landed on her butt with a thud. She looked up and her guess was right. The person was "Natsume", she said quite nervously. Had he heard everything she said?

"What the heck are you doing?" he asked glaring at her. Then he said "So it's pink today huh?" he gazed below.

"Shut up!" she said. Natsume extended a hand to help her up and she took it. She dusted her clothes before glaring at him.

"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked irritated.

He didn't answer her but instead asked "Why aren't you dressed yet?" He eyed her clothes, a white t-shirt with a Hello Kitty print, a short, chocolate colored skirt and fluffy pink bedroom slippers. It was very different compared to what **he** was wearing.

"Huh?" came her answer. Then she carefully looked at what he was wearing. A white polo with a black sweater in top, he was wearing black slacks which was unusual since he never wears those if there isn't a… formal occasion.

Before she can say anything, they heard a loud sound of footsteps running towards them. To their surprise, they saw about 10 maids running towards them with gowns, make-up, jewelry and other accessories. Leading all of them, was Misaki who looked pale as if she had seen a ghost. It looks like a stampede of animals was approaching them!

"Mikan-chama!" she screamed as she saw her and dashed forward faster than before.

They sweat dropped. "I'll wait here." Natsume said entering the library. Mikan was left alone in the middle of the hallway, not knowing what to do.

Finally… the mob caught her.

**-**

**-**

Natsume eyed the table that covered in writing materials and reference books.

"She has no idea as usual." He thought. Suddenly, something brushed on his ankle. He looked down and saw Tama. He bent down and stroked its fur.

"Hey there. Haven't seen you for a while." He said and the cat purred.

He picked it up and went near the window. He looked outside the garden and realized it was already autumn.

"The season's changing once more. Soon it'll be winter." He said to no one in particular.

After a few more minutes of watching the leaves fall, somebody stepped in the room. Natsume looked back and his eyes widened a bit.

Mikan was wearing a beige halter top dress with a cherry blossom pattern. She also wore a caramel colored bolero and a long necklace that reached up to her chest with a small gold pendant shaped like the sun. Finally, she wore a simple pair of flat black shoes with a gold ribbon on the front. Her hair was tied in a bun and secured by a barrette with an orchid design.

Mikan blushed when she felt Natsume's eyes pinned in her. She shrugged and fiddled with her pendant.

"Do… do I look okay?" she croaked.

Natsume snapped out of the trance he was in and his expression changed back to being nonchalant.

"Hn." He put down Tama who came running towards Mikan.

Mikan carried her and stroked its fur. "Good. Misaki-san just told me about the lunch 'appointment'. She said it slipped from her mind."

"I'm sorry Mikan-chama!" Misaki said suddenly appearing behind.

Natsume rolled his eyes. "How could she have forgotten? It was just decided 3 hours ago…" he thought.

"Let's go. They're waiting." And Natsume stepped out of the room.

Mikan laid down Tama and took her bag from Misaki.

"Bye Misaki-san! Bye Tama!" she scurried off to reach Natsume.

**-**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-**

Mikan and Natsume sat in the car on their way to the restaurant where their parents were waiting. Natsume stared blankly at the buildings they passed while Mikan chattered noisily about her tutor not showing up.

"So what's this sudden 'appointment' all about huh?" Mikan asked.

Natsume shrugged. "Like I care."

Mikan pouted. "Well you should. Remember that you're not the only one stuck in this mess."

"It's probably another formal celebration or something. You know how they can be." Natsume replied sitting back and putting his hands at the back of his head.

Mikan sighed. "Up to now, I still can't believe this is happening to us." Her voice sounded melancholy. She gazed outside her window, her expression unfanthomable.

Natsume glanced at her. His mien showed that he was thinking really hard

**-**

"_Hotaru, are you sure it's alright for you to follow them like this?" Ruka asked sitting at the back of a taxi. _

_His girlfriend was beside him, not taking her eyes off the car they were following from a safe distance._

"_I don't know about you, but I'm not used to Mikan keeping secrets from me. Anyway, aren't you interested in finding out if they're really engaged?" she replied._

"_I am. But they're our friends. I'm sure they are planning to tell us… soon." Ruka said._

_Hotaru finally looked at him. Ruka was taken aback. Although she was his girlfriend, the way she looked at him with her deep violet eyes still gives him Goosebumps. Hotaru looked like she was going to gobble him up._

"_Soon? Don't be stupid." She said. "Are you expecting them to come up to us and say that they're getting married?"_

_The way she put it, everything sounded stupid. _

_Ruka just sighed in defeat._

_Yep. They were perfect for each other. Ruka was not an egoistic guy, perfect for Hotaru who is more of a feminist, or shall we say, a superior._

**-**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-**

All of the sudden, the car stopped and the brakes screeched. Mikan almost fell forward if she wasn't wearing her seatbelt.

"What the hell!?!" said Natsume.

The driver looked back. "I'm sorry. But it's just that I can't pass through…"

"Huh? Why?" then both of them saw the media running towards them. Their eyes dilated.

"Kyaaa! What's this all about Natsume?" she asked grabbing the sleeve of his sweater.

"Get us out of here now. Let's find another way." He said to the driver.

The driver nodded and the car drove backwards away from the crowd that was approaching.

--

"Stop!" Ruka said to the taxi driver. "They're going that way! Quick, follow them!"

The man did what he was told.

Hotaru scanned media people. "I guess we're not the only ones interested…" she said.

--

Natsume's cell rang. Mikan jumped in surprise, she was still feeling jittery after what just happened.

"Hello?" Natsume answered.

He heard a faint sound of a piano playing and a couple of people talking in the background. "Natsume? This is your mother."

"Oh, mom…" he didn't know what to say.

"Where are you? Is Mikan with you? Are you okay? What's taking you so long?" she asked in a worried voice.

"We're fine. We just passed the restaurant a minute ago. We couldn't come out because the media was there." He explained.

His mother didn't answer. He heard a couple of murmurs and a voice he recognized as his father's.

"Natsume, you see…" there was uncertainty in her voice. "Please come back now. After lunch you and Mikan have an interview with the press. Your father didn't want me to tell you but-" somebody took the phone from her mother.

"Natsume, come back here right now. We'll send the body guards to escort you." It was his father.

"What's going on?" Natsume demanded clenching his fists. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Mikan looked at Natsume worriedly.

"Don't be stupid", Mr. Hyuuga hissed. "You should've known this would happen. You are my son, and both you and Mikan belong to the most prosperous families in the country. Didn't you think the media will find out about your engagement soon?" his tone of voice had an air of superiority.

"So you're saying that the news just came out. And you were unprepared for it." Natsume said bluntly.

"We'll talk about this later. Come back here right now." And the phone conversation ended.

Natsume clutched his cell phone in his hands in frustration. "Take us back to the restaurant." He hissed at the driver.

"Natsume? What's wrong?" Mikan put her hand on top of his clenched fist.

"The news got out. We're going to have an interview with the press later on." He replied not looking at her.

Mikan's eyes widened. "Wha-what?!? No way! You're kidding! But why so sudden!" she said.

Natsume sat back and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He looked outside the window and said in a plain voice "Welcome to the business world."

**-**

**-**

**-3 Days Later-**

**-School-**

**-**

**- **

Mikan sat on the swing of the deserted play ground at the back of the old school building. The metal chains creaked as she swayed back and fort, her feet digging the soil and ruining her shoes. The trees and bushes were in need of trimming and the grass had grown above her ankle. The place was deserted and only the 2 swings and the old seesaw, covered with vines, were left. From her left, the old building remains with holes, broken windows and termite-eaten walls. The students were not allowed in this part of the campus for it was to be reconstructed in a month's time. Mikan rarely broke school rules but today was an exception. She had to get away.

The whole school found out about the engagement of the campus heartthrob and klutz. The engagement between the weirdest pair of best friends, one of Campus' Seven Wonders.

Everywhere people were talking and whispering to each other. Sending stares at them and constantly giggling. Mikan avoided it all. But of course, it had no effect on Natsume.

In the midst of her musing, someone came and sat on the swing beside her. Mikan looked up, hoping to see it was Natsume. But it wasn't him. It was the person she dreaded to see.

Her other best friend, Hotaru Imai.

"I'll stay here for a while." She said, her voice as stoic as ever.

Mikan looked at the weeds on the ground. "Are you mad at me?" she asked.

"No." was her answer. "Just disappointed."

Mikan tried to defend herself. "It's not as easy at it seems! You, Natsume, Ruka and I have been friends for along time! It's not that easy to come up and tell you guys we're getting married!"

Hotaru grinned, much to Mikan's surprise. Her answer was the same as Hotaru predicted.

"I know. I've been through it like you." Hotaru said. The emotion in her eyes was something Mikan could not decipher.

Hotaru looked at her surroundings before answering.

"It took me a lot of sleepless nights before I finally admitted to you that Ruka and I were going out." She explained.

"Really?" Mikan said. She didn't expect Hotaru to admit her weakness like that.

"Yeah. It's like what you said. The four of us have been friends for a long time."

Mikan hesitated in asking Hotaru this question. Hotaru might think that she was just using the atmosphere of the moment to get her to spill some secrets.

"What was the first reaction you had when you found out?" Mikan asked.

"Like yours… surprise." Hotaru answered simply.

The sky was now painted in warm colors of orange, red and yellow. The wind blew past them, carrying the leaves that fell from the ground. Mikan tucked a stray hair behind her ear, enjoying the moment with Hotaru as the wind caressed them.

"Hey Hotaru?"

"Yeah?"

"The way people look at me and Natsume now… it's really different from before, right?"

Hotaru didn't answer. Mikan took her silence as a 'yes'.

Then Hotaru spoke up. "Even if the way people look at you is different-"

"You mean broken." Mikan said sighing.

"… whatever. **Our** friendship will never be broken." Hotaru continued.

Mikan's eyes widened. She looked over at Hotaru who was stoic as ever. She had a sudden urge to embrace her.

As if she could read her thoughts, Hotaru added. "Hug me and you'll die."

Mikan sweat dropped.

"Thanks Hotaru."

_To be continued…_

**Hiya! I know, this chapter lacks fluffs- but I promise the next chapters will be better! Thanks again for the wonderful reviews! I'm currently making a Get Backers fanfic, aside from making other GA fanfics stored in my computer only- hehehe!, together with my keypal. If you're also a GetBackers fan, please do read it and review! (I'll post a link in my profile later) Well, that's all for now! Please leave a review and make me smile! Thanks in advance! Ja ne!**

**-'orange-ideas'**


	5. Chapter 4: Wonder

**DISCLAIMER: GAKUEN ALICE BELONGS TO HIGUCHI TACHIBANA.**

**XoXo… **_**CHAPTER FOUR**_**…oXoX**

**-**

**-Wonder-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

'_Twinkle, twinkle, little star,_

_How I wonder what you are!_

_Up above the world so high,_

_Like a diamond in the sky!_

_Twinkle, twinkle, little star!_

_How I wonder what you are!'_

_Mikan sang as she and Natsume gazed outside the window, looking at the stars. The moon was also visible; it dispelled the darkness within the room with its soft radiance._

"_Ne, what time is it Natsume-kun?" Mikan asked rubbing her eyes because of drowsiness. Tama was curled up on the floor beside them, fast asleep._

"_9:45 It's taking a while, isn't it?" he said._

_Mikan yawned. "I don't think Misaki's going to find us soon. Let's get some sleep." She said._

"_And why is that?"_

"_Well…" she stood up and walked towards the old couch. "Nobody visits this part of the mansion often anymore as you can see." Then she yawned._

_She sat on the edge and rested her arms and head on the arm rest. Her eyelids opened and closed, trying to fight her drowsiness._

"_Great", said Natsume sarcastically. "In a few hours, it'll be Christmas… and we're stuck here." he kicked the carpeted floor and dust flew. He sneezed after inhaling it._

"_What now Mikan-chan?" he said irritably. Her calmness towards the situation was rubbing him the wrong way._

_He looked at where she lay and found her fast asleep. Natsume was silent._

_Moonlight shone on her face and she looked like a little angel without its wings. The wind blew again and he saw her shiver in cold. Then she suddenly spoke_

"_Natsume-kun… I'm cold…"_

_Then he remembered telling her…_

-

"Mother told me that as a 6 year old, I should act more responsibly now…"

-

"_She trusts me…" he thought looking at her sleeping figure._

_-_

"Well, why are you so relaxed knowing we've been stuck here for some time now? Aren't you scared that something might happen?" He snapped.

"What's to fear? I'm with you." She replied shrugging.

-

_Reluctantly, he took off the jacket of his tuxedo and placed it on her shoulders. Mikan was instantly enveloped in warmth._

_Natsume sat on the floor, with Mikan on his back and the couch for support. After a few minutes of idle musing, he fell asleep. His head rested on the cushion of the couch beside her body._

**-**

**-**

**-Present Time-**

**-**

**-**

In two weeks time, Gakuen Alice will be celebrating its foundation day, or as they call it the Alice Festival. It's a one week jamboree wherein the academy opens up to the public. Many business companies, media stations and other elite schools visit the academy during this festivity. The administration, teachers and students are all preparing for this big event. For the next two weeks, classes are suspended in preparation for the festival. Each class is required to hold a booth or a program to be presented and there will be an awarding for the best presentation during the last day. They call the award as the Alice award.

"Alright people! Settle down! Settle down!" cried the class president, Yuu Tobita, standing in front.

The students, filled with anticipation, hurriedly went back to their seats in order to start planning for the festival.

"Okay, as you all know, the so-called 'Hustler class' has graduated last year." Yuu said grinning a bit.

A few grinned and chuckled at the term he used. They call the seniors last year as the 'Hustler class' because they have won the Alice award ever since they were freshmen. That section in the batch were the 'Hustlers-in-awards' and only a few other sections could stand against them. They were also considered the Golden Class of Gakuen Alice which brought other classes, even their batch mates to envy them. Yet despite of that, they still remained strong and won the Alice Award for the 4th year running.

"Honestly speaking, we didn't do too bad last year either. What I'm saying is that we have a bigger chance of winning the Alice Award this year if everything goes great like the past."

All agreed with him. Mikan shot Natsume a knowing look. Natsume, who was reading his manga with his feet propped on his desk, glared at her. Through it, Mikan understood the message he wanted to convey. 'No.'

Last year, the theme of their presentation was about fairytales coming to life, Mikan was the one who suggested it. They opened their classroom to the public wherein a short play was held every 2 hours, in between were free Photo shoots with the cast and the setting as the background. The plays were about short children's story, fairytales and fables. But there were twists to these stories. The male parts were to be acted out by girls and the female parts by guys. Everyone had to act, even Natsume. He played the part of Cinderella, Mikan was the prince. Among all the skits the class performed, Cinderella was the crowd's favorite. Because of insistent 'public demand' they had to perform the play twice, much to Natsume's frustration and Mikan's delight at her best friend's chagrin. By the end of the day, Natsume vowed never to act again.

The class was filled with enthusiasm for this year's presentation. They were all positive they'll win this year. The Hustlers are gone and they have the school's most famous couple, Natsume and Mikan. The room became noisy, everyone was voicing out their opinions and ideas all at once. Natsume got irritated and decided to speak up.

"There's still one more competition left." He said nonchalantly.

Everybody looked at him. They realized he was right. There was one more class who's as fierce as the Hustlers were. But what's difficult is that the section they're competing against is from their batch itself.

"Shouda's class." Yuu said.

And as if on cue, Sumire Shouda entered their classroom, and walked towards Yuu with a purposeful stride, a smug grin on her face. Behind her was her two cronies Mikan called 'Sea' and 'Weed' in conformity to their boss' hair.

The class grew quiet; irritated looks on their faces as she approached Yuu who stood stiff as a rock.

"Hey there Tobita." She said in a haughty voice.

"What do you want?" he said.

Sumire scanned the class. Her eyes stopped when she saw a surprised Mikan and a bored Natsume beside her. She gave a flirtatious smile at Natsume and a furious glare at Mikan who was taken aback.

"What's your plan for this year's festival?" she said in a demanding tone rather than a questioning one.

"We haven't decided." Yuu replied nonchalantly.

"And what do you care about it, Shouda?" said a voice.

Mikan recognized that voice and looked over at Hotaru who still looked as stoic as ever. She wasn't even looking at Sumire when she spoke.

"Imai…" Sumire said careful not to show contempt towards the 'Ice Queen' of the academy. "I was just curious."

"Oh… then there's no reason for you to come barging in, uninvited then." Hotaru replied still fixing her invention.

"Actually, there's another reason." Sumire walked over to where Hotaru was sitting in front of Mikan.

"I want to know why Natsume got engaged to her." She looked at Mikan fiercer than before.

Mikan froze in fear. Among all of Natsume's fan girls, she is the worst. Mikan felt all eyes pinned to her and awaited her next move. Luckily, Natsume took everything in his hands.

"We had an interview. Why don't you watch it and stop wasting your breath." He said.

Sumire moved her gaze towards Natsume, her eyes filled with misery. "Oh my Natsume-kun… why did you have to get engaged with a filth like her." Her eyes trailed back to Mikan who was offended. Natsume glared at her.

"She's my best friend. Don't you dare call her a filth." He said in cold and angry voice.

Mikan looked over at him, her eyes widened in shock. "He never admitted that out loud before…" She thought.

Sumire was taken a back. With a toss of her hair, she walked out of the classroom furious and embarrassed.

After she left, silence still dominated the place. There were also a few murmurs about what just happened. Mikan still couldn't believe what Natsume said about her and continued to stare at him.

"Hey President", Natsume called out. "Let's start planning."

Yuu shook off his speechlessness and so did the rest of the class. All went back to their seats and started to give suggestions.

Mikan continued to look at Natsume with a confused look. Natsume looked back at her, his expression was bored as ever. As soon as he caught her eye, Mikan blushed all of a sudden and looked away.

"Natsume…" she thought. _"I wonder… how his brain really works…"_

**-**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-**

Mikan walked along the corridors of the academy, holding a piece of paper. She was going to deliver the admission slip for their class to the faculty. They decided, since Fantasy themes were very popular these days, to have Role-Playing game in a maze for this year. All her classmates were enthusiastic about it that they started discussing about the details right away, Mikan was one of these optimists. As a result, she accidentally volunteered to deliver the admission slip to the faculty leaving her unaware of the plans for this year's festival. All she knew was that it is a RPG and a fantasy theme.

Mikan sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have let myself be tricked! Now I have to deliver this and miss out all the details! The fantasy theme was my idea anyway…" she said to herself.

She looked out at the fields of the academy, admiring the view. She imagined the maze the class will put up there, and hundreds of people lining up to play in the RPG. Instantly, she regained confidence in herself in a snap of a finger, thinking about it.

"I better hurry then!" and she started to run though it was a rule not to run in the hallways.

A turn to the left and there was the faculty. As she was about to turn left, someone suddenly stepped out and collided with her. Mikan was about to fall backwards till the person, a male student, grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. Unfortunately, the guy lost balance as well and Mikan fell on top of him. Her head rested on a well built chest and felt the breathing of the person. Her eyes grew wide and the person below her began to stir in pain.

Mikan quickly sat up, embarrassed. "Go-gomen nasai!" she said bowing. The guy sat up as well, rubbing his head. Mikan glanced up to see if he was okay. She found himself looking at his former classmate-

"Seiji?" she said in disbelief.

The silver-haired teen looked up, his black eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah… is that you Sakura-san?" he said.

Mikan smiled. "It is you! Seiji Takaki! You were my classmate in the first grade!" They both stood up.

Seiji smiled. "Nice to see you again Sakura-san."

"Oh stop calling me Sakura-san! It's like you don't known me! Call me Mikan, okay?"

Seiji grinned. "Sure. Huh? What's that?" he pointed to the piece of paper Mikan was holding.

"Oh this? It's our class's admission slip. I've got to deliver it to the faculty room." She explained.

"I've just been there as you can see. They've just assigned my new section."

"Really? What section are you in then?" Mikan asked curiously forgetting that she was supposed to deliver the slip.

"Well it's-

**-**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-**

Mikan suddenly barged in the classroom startling everyone.

"Guess who's here!" she said gleefully.

Natsume's eyes widened when he saw who it is. Seiji stepped inside, a bit embarrassed at the big entrance Mikan had done for him. A few girls squealed because they found him cute.

"Seiji Takaki?" Natsume said.

Seiji looked over and saw Natsume, another classmate of his. "Figures", he thought grinning. "If there's Mikan, there's always Natsume."

"Natsume." He greeted him.

"Guys, meet Seiji Takaki, a new student and me and Natsume's former classmate!" Mikan said.

Yuu went over to greet him, and so did the rest of the female population, except Hotaru, came over to welcome him. Seiji smiled and thanked them.

"Welcome Seiji! We were just planning for the alice festival. It's good to know we have another helping hand on our side." Yuu said.

"Thanks." Seiji replied.

Then, Mikan pulled him away and brought him to where Natsume and the others were sitting.

"Seiji, these are my other friends Hotaru and Ruka. Of course you know Natsume." She said.

"Nice to meet you. And how are you Natsume?" he said.

"The usual", was his reply. Then he turned to Mikan. "Have you delivered the slip?"

Mikan's eyes grew wide. "Oh no! Be right back! Seiji, you can sit in my desk for the meantime. Keep him company Natsume!" and she dashed off.

Seiji sat down. "She hasn't changed a bit. You too Natsume."

"Really? Well, maybe you're right." He replied.

**-**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-**

For the next few days, Seiji hanged around with Mikan and the others often. They didn't mind though, but at times, Natsume thought there was something wrong that's happening. Mikan hanged around Seiji even after school, both of them were assigned to get the materials needed for the props; the class proposed to prepare the maze first before assigning the parts in the RPG. It didn't bother him much, knowing that Seiji was also a good friend of Mikan. Everything was fine until one day…

-

Mikan and Seiji were sitting by the fountain in the park eating hamburgers. Beside them were 3 large paper bags filled with all the materials needed. They had just finished shopping and decided to eat first before returning to school with it. As they ate, the reminisced about the silly activities they did when they were in the first grade.

"Why did you leave during the 3rd grade?" Mikan asked.

"My father had to work in another company in Britain. We stayed there for about…5 or 6 years then came back. I was studying in a public school back then. But after I won a National Quiz bee, the Alice Academy offered me a scholarship. This really helped my dad lessen the bills to be paid." He joked in the end.

Mikan smiled at his optimism. "It's a coincidence that we met again after all these years."

"It's a miracle you guys still remembered me. So how are you and Natsume these days?"

Mikan's eyes widened. Did he saw the interview about their engagement? What was she supposed to say? "How embarrassing it would be to admit it out loud!" she thought.

"Are you guys still having those silly squabbles like before?" he continued.

Mikan mentally sighed in relief. "So that was what he meant!" she thought.

"Yeah. He's still a jerk as ever… but he's the bestest friend I could ever have!" Mikan said.

Seiji smiled. "Good for you guys then."

They continued to talk animatedly, unconscious of the time.

-

Natsume, who was already waiting for them for an hour and 30 minutes, decided to follow them. Even if Seiji was a responsible guy, Natsume thinks that Mikan easily influenced him.

"Her idiot germs are truly contagious." He thought, still annoyed.

Then he remembered what Imai told him when he decided to leave.

_**-Flashback-**_

_Natsume looked out the window for any sign of the two for the7th time that hour. Together with Ruka and Hotaru, they painted the plywood to be used as the walls around the maze. Both Hotaru and Ruka felt Natsume's irritation and impatience, they looked at each other with knowing looks. _

"_Natsume, you're wasting the paint. Not so thick or else we'll have to add another layer of paint to ours to match yours." Ruka explained._

_Natsume grunted. "Well you're painting too light. Those two should have been here ages ago with the spare paint." He said irritably._

"_**If you're so jealous, then why don't you go after them", **__Hotaru said._

"_What did you say?"_

"_Go after them if you're so impatient. Look, the paint's almost gone." Hotaru said._

_He rolled his eyes and stood up. "Never trust idiots to accomplish simple tasks." He dropped his paint brush and went out the door, banging it._

_**-End of Flashback-**_

"That's not true… I'm not jealous. I'm just furious of their delay." He thought.

Hotaru and Ruka watched him from the window.

"He's so overprotective." Hotaru said.

Ruka nodded in agreement. "To think he couldn't trust his former classmate."

"I think that Seiji likes Mikan too." Hotaru said, a grin tugging her lips.

"What? How come?"

"You men just don't get it. Now, go back to work." She said.

**-**

"We better be going." Mikan said. She stood up and lifted a paper bag. Because of its heaviness, she lost balance and fell on Seiji's lap.

"You okay?" he asked, his hands on both her shoulders to support her.

"Yeah thanks." Mikan said giving him a faint smile, unaware of the proximity of their faces.

Natsume, who saw them from afar, watched the whole thing. Suddenly, he clenched his fists and was filled with irritation. Or perhaps, jealousy?

Seiji helped her stand up and saw Natsume approach them, conscious of his irritation.

"What the heck took you guys so long?" he said angrily, glaring at Mikan.

"Sorry about that! We got hungry and so we-" she was cut off.

"Give me that!" he took the paper bag from her. "What if the most class got hungry huh? Are we going to leave all our work and rest for an hour and 30 minutes knowing that people are counting on us? Tccch." He started to walk back to school.

"We're really sorry Natsume. We lost track of time and-" Seiji tried to explain. But nobody could've been able to calm Natsume down in that situation.

"Will you hurry up? That's the least you can do thanks." He replied sarcastically.

"Natsume…" Mikan said softly. She looked down, guiltily.

"Come on." Seiji said getting the other paper bag. Mikan carried the last one.

The three of them walked silently back to the academy. Natsume was still furious and Mikan was sad she let him and the others down.

"I'm really sorry Natsume-kun…" she thought.

**-**

Looking through the window, Hotaru guessed what might've happened. But she knew one thing for certain, Natsume was starting to get jealous.

"_**I wonder what will happen next?"**__ she thought as she stared down at the trio. _

_To be continued…_

**Thanks again guys for the wonderful reviews! I've made an OC to 'spice' things up for the couple- hope you don't mind:) Please don't forget to leave a review! I'll try to update ASAP! Well, ja ne!**

**-'orange-ideas'**


	6. Chapter 5 Part 1

**DISCLAIMER: GAKUEN ALICE BELONGS TO HIGUCHI TACHIBANA.**

**Poem: From Story time for 2 year olds.**

**-**

**-**

_Dedicated to my onee-chan, RaNma11_ :)

**-**

**-**

**XoXo… **_**CHAPTER FIVE**_**…oXoX**

**-**

**-'I'd like to… be a Princess'-**

**-Part One-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

_Mikan was awakened by Tama's constant licking of her palm. She sat up and was surprised to discover Natsume's jacket on her shoulders. She searched for her friend and found him sleeping; his head resting on the couch. She couldn't help but smile. _

"_I knew it. I'll always be okay if he's on my side." She thought. _

_Mikan sat on the floor and crouched near him. She carefully placed his jacket on his shoulders. Natsume stirred and woke up. He found himself looking at gentle amber eyes._

"_Natsume-kun…" she said with a smile on her face._

"_So you're awake," he said sitting cross legged._

_He looked at his watch 10:30. Even if they just had a nap for about half an hour, he already felt energized once again._

"_Still no Misaki-san?" he asked._

_Mikan shook her head sadly._

"_Hey Natsume-kun… thanks for lending me your jacket." She said almost shyly._

"_No problem", he replied getting to his feet. He looked out the window; he saw a tree from afar, bathed in the moon's soft glow. The four corners of the Sakura mansion is surrounded by beautiful gardens, there were Christmas ornaments and lights on trees and bushes showing the holiday spirit. But that tree stood out from the rest for there were no Christmas lights on its branches neither ornaments. After staring at it more carefully, Natsume recognized it was a Sakura Tree, standing in all its majesty._

_Mikan, confused by his sudden silence, looked out the window as well. She found herself staring at her Sakura tree as well._

"_Mikan-chan… why isn't that tree decorated like the others?" Natsume asked._

"_That's because it's a special tree," she replied. "It's my Sakura tree."_

"_Really…" he said. "I also have a Sakura tree at home…"_

"_That's nice… you know, Himiko-san told me that it was my dad's great grandfather who planted that tree when he was just a kid. She also said that my mother loved that tree… it was where my dad proposed to her," Mikan said dreamily._

"_I see. So it is that special then." Natsume said._

"_Himiko-san told me that it was because of this tree, the company my family owns is called _Silver Lining. _She told me that under this tree, my great, great grandparents found benefit from their problems… they saw the silver lining under that tree." Mikan said as she faced him._

"_What's a silver lining?" he asked._

_Mikan shrugged. "I don't know what Himiko-san meant by it at all. It's so confusing!"_

_They sat silently for a while, both trying to figure out what 'Silver Lining' meant, not knowing the answer was right under their noses. The suddenly, the raven-haired boy spoke up._

"_So… does this mean you're going to inherit the company?" he asked almost hesitantly._

_Mikan looked at him, confused. She was silent at first, her eyebrows furrowed. Natsume thought he offended her and was about to apologize when-_

"_What's 'inherit'?" she asked innocently._

_Natsume sweat dropped. "Ba-ka," he murmured. _

"_It's like you get to be the next boss or something." It was hard to explain._

"_Oh…" she contemplated for a moment. "I guess so…" she twirled a lock of her auburn hair. "What about you Natsume?"_

"_No." he answered simply, as if he was prepared for the question._

"_Why not?"_

"_My older brother will inherit it of course." He explained._

"_So you have an older brother… that's double luck!" Mikan said._

_Natsume's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't get you,"_

"_Well, I've always wanted a brother or sister to play with…"_

"_My brother's different." Natsume said looking away._

"… _and you're lucky you can be whatever you want to be when you grow up." Mikan said, her voice sounded depressed._

_He looked back at her. "Mikan-chan… what do you want to be when you grow up?"_

_Mikan paused. Then she replied in a cheerful tone that surprised Natsume of her sudden mood swing._

"_What every girl wants to be! A princess of course!" she said._

"_Mikan! I'm serious! By the way you live, you can easily be mistaken for a princess already!" Natsume pointed out._

"_Maybe… but I want to find my Prince!" Mikan said dreamily. She giggled. "My mother wrote a poem about things she wanted to be when she grows up! It's written in the first page of this book! I didn't notice it at first, 'cause I was too fascinated exploring other nursery rhymes!"_

_She opened the first page. Written probably in her handwriting, was Sayako Miyake's poem._

_-_

_**I'd like to…**_

_I'd like to be a doctor,_

_I'd like to fly a plane,_

_I'd like to cut your hair,_

_I'd like to drive a crane._

_I'd like to be a farmer,_

_I'd like to be a cook,_

_But just before I start…_

_I'd like to read this book!_

_-_

"_Well she doesn't want to be a Princess," Natsume said after Mikan read it out loud. "And she sounded kinda boyish to me- OW!"_

_Mikan hit him in the head and stuck out her tongue at him._

"_What about you Natsume? What do you want to be when you grow up?" she asked._

_Before he could answer, they heard a loud noise coming from outside…_

**-**

**-**

**-PRESENT TIME-**

**-**

**-**

A raven-haired boy rested peacefully under the Sakura tree. His arms were placed at the back of his head and his legs were outstretched. Beside him was a manga he had previously read before taking a short nap.

An auburn-haired female approached him cautiously; she carried a brown paper bag on her left hand and a plastic bag containing 2 cans of soda on her right. She sat down beside him and laid the bags in front of her. She then began to empty it out.

Natsume stirred a bit, sensing someone sitting beside him. He blinked and glanced at his side where his companion sat, he smelled the scent of food and his stomach gave a soft grumble that only he heard. After recognizing the person, he sat up and brushed away his bangs that covered his face.

"Natsume-kun! Look, I bought us burgers, fries and soda. Let's eat!" Mikan said opening her can of soda.

"I'm not hungry." He replied curtly, distancing himself.

Mikan frowned. "Are you still angry?" she asked.

He ignored her and looked around. "Where's your boyfriend?" he asked sardonically.

"Huh? Seiji's not my boyfriend!" Mikan defended herself and took a sip of her soda. She handed him the other can.

"Well then where is he?" Natsume asked refusing to accept it. She placed it in front of him.

"With the other guys of course. They're setting up the maze." She replied.

"Hn. And I thought he became your tail." He said irritated.

"He's not my tail or anything else you call him! He's just a friend!" Mikan said, almost shouting at him.

"For a friend you guys seem too bond too much," he replied.

"That's because he doesn't know anybody here in the school yet! Come on Natsume, you're his friend too!" Mikan looked feeble.

"Hn. Whatever." And he drank his soda. Mikan handed him his burger and fries.

"Well anyway, are you excited to see your costume?" she said, looking cheerful.

"No." he replied simply and started to unwrap his burger.

"And why not? You're lucky to be the Prince in the game!" Mikan said, a dreamy look on her face.

"Correction. The Evil Prince. I'm supposed to fight with a customer to prevent the _princess-wannabe_ from being rescued. How pathetic is that!" Natsume said bluntly.

"Watch what you're saying Natsume. At least you get to do some action, I'm what you call the _Princess-wannabe-_"

"Suits you doesn't it?" He smirked. Mikan stuck out his tongue at him.

"Well, it is nice that I get to wear the beautiful gown and crown, but that's all. All I do is sit on the throne, wait for a customer to rescue me, then assist him or her to the prize. That's all! It's kinda boring. Well… I think my part suits _you._ All you do is sit under the Sakura tree and wait for someone, particularly me, to drag your lazy butt up!" Mikan said chuckling.

Natsume glared at her. It was their classmates who decided that they get the main roles… since they were the campus' hottest couple… or most controversial.

"Just think of it this way," she finished her burger before speaking. "At least you're a guy during this year's festival." She gave him a teasing look, then she started to giggle.

Natsume took a piece of French fry and shoved it in her mouth to silence her. "You laugh too much. Baka."

Mikan pouted. Then she smiled again, realizing that he must have forgiven her.

"Ne, Natsume-kun, when you're finished, let's go to the cafeteria for desert." She proposed.

"As long as you treat me," he replied nonchalantly.

"What?!? But I just bought you these!" Mikan replied flabbergasted. She pointed at the burger he was eating at the moment.

"So? I didn't ask you for it. Besides, you're the one who offered it to me." He crumpled the burger wrap and threw it at the nearest trash can.

Mikan glared at him. "Fine then!" she stuffed all their litter in the brown paper bag and rolled it into a sphere like a basketball. She tried to shoot it at the nearest trash can like Natsume but it missed by a few inches

"Loser." Natsume commented.

"Jerk." Mikan replied.

And the verbal war continued until they reached the cafeteria.

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-The Start of the Alice Festival-**

**-**

**-**

Everyone was getting ready for the start of the program. The class was in a ruckus, everyone rushing everywhere to finish up the final preparations and make sure everything is in set and in order. This was _their_ year.

The school was also decorated wonderfully with banners, streamers and shimmering lights were found everywhere. It was a grand event that everyone worked hard to perfect.

The maze, which was located at one of the fields of the academy, was one of the most beautiful attractions. The students in Mikan's class, set up about 50, or more, tents, courtesy of one of their classmates, which were all connected to each other. They also put up a fence around it, painted like stone walls for the majestic theme and a moat, made up of inflatable pools, by the entrance. There were also towers at the four corners and flags on top of it. Beside this so-called castle, was a small stage where they will begin to tell the story and give instructions for the quest of the players.

Everything was ready. And after the Opening Presentation of the school, the fun will begin… or so, they thought.

-

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Natsume is so hot!" screamed the fan girls outside the classroom. They all want to catch a glimpse of the evil yet handsome Prince in the RPG, Natsume Hyuuga. They were all so desperate that Yuu decided to barricade all the doors and cover the windows, in which the girls had their faces glued, with newspaper.

But nobody could blame them. Natsume did look amazing. Even Hotaru glanced at him for a second or two.

He wore a stripped, black and white, long sleeved, collar shirt and wore a silver chain necklace. He also wore a scarlet colored cravat replacing a tie, black slacks, and a black and gray cape that had intricate embroidery on the edges, for his footwear; boots that covered his pants, like what other princes wore when horseback riding. He had a golden coronet on his head, a glittering sword secured on his belt and lastly, a red rose on the breast pocket of his collar shirt that emphasized his eyes. With his enticing crimson eyes and reserved composure, no wonder he was made the evil prince.

Natsume still remained unaffected, though because of him there was an even bigger ruckus going on outside. He sat by the windowsill with his right knee bent, his arm resting on it. He was a model no artist could resist to paint. To put it simply, he looked breathtaking.

Mikan found herself staring at her best friend longer than anyone. She couldn't believe this is the first time she noticed how hot he looked…

"What the heck am I thinking!" she thought as she shook her head in denial. Natsume noticed this and glanced at her. Mikan blushed and looked away.

"Mikan! How come you're not yet dressed!" said Nonoko, dressed as one of the commoners.

"Ano… Hotaru told me to hold this-" Mikan showed her the box Hotaru handed to her. As if on cue, Hotaru appeared from behind and got the box.

"Go get dressed up. Anna's inside to attend to you." Hotaru said.

Mikan nodded and Nonoko dragged her inside the makeshift dressing room in the classroom.

-

"Mikan you look like a real princess!" Anna exclaimed. Their other female classmates entered and squealed in delight. They gave many compliments at her but it seems Mikan was lost in her own world as she examined herself in front of the mirror. She couldn't believe it was her that was reflected in the mirror. She looked just like her mother in the photographs.

The gown she wore was silk, baby pink in color; it had a layer of lace that shimmered. The shoulders were puffed and the sleeves were made of lace that flowed at back. There was also golden embroidery on the chest portion. Mikan's hair was tied in one long braid and her bangs were clipped with silver hairclips.

She was lost in her own world that she didn't notice Hotaru place a golden tiara on her.

"You look really nice Mikan," Hotaru complimented, giving a small smile.

Mikan snapped out of her trance and smiled back. The other girls approached Mikan and started to babble.

"You'll look really good with Natsume-kun! I envy you!" one said.

"You make a perfect couple if you were more of a quiet and shy type Mikan! But anyway, you still look perfect for Natsume!" the other commented.

"It's a shame Natsume's the evil prince! You guys could've looked happily ever after!" Most sweat dropped at what the other said, not making sense at all.

The noise grew, and the boys, filled with curiosity, tried to peek but the other females stopped and scolded them. A squabble was about to start but with a snap from Hotaru, they were all silenced.

"Take the princess to the evil prince now." She ordered.

"Yes!" they said immediately. It was like Hotaru was the queen but she was really the assistant leader, or _vice chairman _as she was preferred to be called.

-

Natsume stared outside the window, looking at the other booths for the festival. He then heard his female classmates giggling and squealing from inside the dressing room, he rolled his eyes. The other guys, filled with curiosity, decided to take a peek but ended up being scolded by the girls. He chuckled at their expense.

After a few minutes, a girl, led by the other females, emerged looking wonderful but shy at all the attention. Some of the boys whistled and grinned at each other. Natsume wasn't paying attention though; he was glaring at somebody from afar.

Seiji was preparing the stage together with the others who were assigned. He was also laughing with the other guys, just having a good time. He must have sensed something since he suddenly looked up, his direction towards their classroom. He met Natsume's gaze and an unspoken understanding took place…

"Ahem," came a fake cough from Mikan as she stood in front of Natsume.

Natsume glanced back and was a bit surprised at what he saw. He was speechless. There came an awkward silence between them and some of their classmates sniggered.

Mikan had her hands clasped behind her. "Well?" she said looking down.

Then Natsume realized he was staring too much and quickly looked away. "… nice dress," he said.

"Thanks. You look good too." Mikan replied.

Natsume then looked behind her. Most of the class was staring at them, as if watching a romantic movie. Mikan also looked back and sweat dropped at the scene.

Then somebody gave a loud fake cough. They all looked back and saw Hotaru, she had one of the soldiers' sword slung over her shoulder and one hand on her waist.

"We have work to do." She said simply, but the way her voice echoed throughout the room was enough to send shivers down one's spine.

The class immediately went back to work.

Mikan sat down on the desk beside where Natsume sat. One of their classmates handed them their scripts.

"I'm so nervous," Mikan said as she skimmed through her lines.

"I remember vowing to myself that I would never act again." Natsume said throwing his script on her desk.

"You've memorized all your lines?" Mikan said in disbelief.

He looked at her with a 'Duh' expression. "Haven't you?" he said.

"Of course but… whenever I get nervous I suddenly forget everything that I memorized," She said.

"… You'll do fine." Natsume said, a bit hesitantly.

"I know. Seiji told me the exact same words when he helped me practice." Mikan said leafing through her script once more.

Natsume got annoyed at an instant. She made it seem like he was just a copy cat, or someone small to her. This really pissed him off that he regretted saying those words.

Natsume grunted and walked away, extremely pissed.

**-**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-**

A crowd gathered by the foot of the stage, all chatting animatedly, excited to start the program. At the back of the stage, the class gathered together with Yuu in the middle, about to make another speech like what he always do every year. Mikan and Seiji stood side by side, talking fondly. Natsume was in the middle of the females gathered, swooning over him. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest, his infamous glare plastered on his face making him much look like an evil prince. He was looking away from Mikan and Seiji who didn't seem to feel the negative energy he was giving off. Hotaru and Ruka stood side by side, looking at their friends back and forth.

Yuu clapped his hands to get their attention. "Alright everybody! We all worked hard for this day so let's do our best and win this thing!"

The class cheered at their president's short speech. Like everyone, he was excited to start the presentation.

"Places everyone and do your best!" he said.

The class returned to their stations where they were assigned.

"Good luck Mikan." Seiji said while adjusting his headset.

Mikan gave a faint smile, feeling the butterflies in her stomach. Seiji grinned and ran towards the back entrance of the maze.

**-**

"Everyone please settle down, the opening play will begin in a few minutes." Said a female voice, the narrator of the play.

Mikan wanted to bite her fingernails in nervousness but couldn't because she was wearing white silk gloves that Hotaru intentionally gave her for that certain purpose.

The curtains were drawn back and the stage was lighted with a soft, golden glow.

"_Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who lived in an enchanting castle…"_

Mikan walked out of the stage and quickly glanced at the audience, she was surprised to find out that aside from her classmates filming the skit, the media was also there! It shouldn't take her by surprise though, every Alice festival, the media always came to the academy… and getting the engaged heirs acting together would be a big scoop for them. Mikan gulped and went to her proper position, sitting on her throne located in the middle of the stage.

The audience started to murmur and Hotaru quickly silenced them just by snapping.

"_She had many suitors but refused all of them. She believes that she was only admired by them and not loved…"_

Her other male classmates entered, carrying bouquets of roses and kneeling at her feet. Mikan bowed down to them in apology.

"I'm sorry. But you are not my Prince." She said.

"_All the princes left, heartbroken, except one… the cruel yet drop-dead handsome Prince Natsume refused to be umm… refused."_

Mikan sweat dropped at this. Almost the entire female population of Gakuen Alice squealed as Natsume entered the stage… Mikan rolled her eyes. But she couldn't blame them… they've been captivated by Natsume since… forever. And she, herself, agrees that he does look gorgeous… if she feels a bit… giddy at him then what more with his fan girls.

"Your highness, I ask once again for your hand in marriage," he said kissing her right hand. Mikan blushed. The audience hooted. "And I shall not take no for an answer." He continued, his crimson eyes met with her soft amber orbs.

"I- I'm sorry Prince Natsume," She took her hand away. "But I can't marry someone… I don't love…" she said, quite hesitantly.

Then she realized something, what she just said… what if Natsume took that personally?

The audience started murmuring again. All were hooked at what would happen next. Even Hotaru and Ruka found themselves starring. Even the narrator!

"Pssst! Hayako! Your line!" Seiji whispered at the narrator who was also hooked.

"_Oh! Uh… Prince Natsume, his temperature rising, got angry at the Princess. And so he told her…"_

"That leaves me no choice then," Natsume stood up and faced the audience. He took out his sword and the fan girls once again squealed. He pointed his sword at Mikan.

"I put a curse upon you. You are never to leave this castle until you learn to love me!" he said.

The curtains covered the stage.

"_And so, fellow friends, that is the story on how Princess Mikan was locked up in the castle. Prince Natsume, together with his troops, guarded the place unless any stranger was to go there and try to steal his beloved from him…"_

The curtains were opened once again and revealed Mikan, kneeling in front if her bed, crying…

"I mustn't lose hope… I know my real prince will come and rescue me…" she said sadly.

Then, the spotlight was focused on Natsume who was leaning against a pillar. He looked at the audience and spoke.

"If any of you wishes to rescue my princess," he took out his sword. "Then I challenge you to do so," he pointed at the castle. "The castle gate is open to those who are willing to risk their lives… or rather, lose it."

He stood with his back facing them and slung his sword on his shoulder. "I'll be waiting."

The curtains closed and the audience applauded.

"_Welcome to our Class' Role Playing Game! 'The Castle Maze'. Venture inside and you will meet challenges and new enemies on the way. Find the exit of the maze where you will find the Princess Mikan and Prince Natsume, your final opponent. The male winner will be crowned the 'Dream Prince' and both female and male winners will have the chance to choose their own crown. There is a corresponding name of a person in our class on the crown you choose. The person who was picked by the winner will be his/her slave for an hour! Good luck and have fun!"_

_To be continued…_

**Hiya! Thanks again for your wonderful reviews! It really cheered me up! I was feeling kinda pissed cause I can't open the Gakuen Alice manga scans I downloaded- grrr! WHY?!? WHY?!? Oh, if you want scans, just tell me and I'll tell you the website- but I better try to see if I can open the downloaded files first! GRRR! If anyone knows where I can just ****read**** the manga in the net then please tell me! I'm craving for GA! **

**Anyway, this is just part one of chapter 5- it was too long so I decided to divide it into two! I'll try to update soon! Please don't forget to review! Thanks in advance!**

**Ja ne!**

**-'orange-ideas'**


	7. Chapter 5 Part 2

**DISCLAIMER: GAKUEN ALICE BELONGS TO HIGUCHI TACHIBANA.**

**-**

**-**

_**Dedicated to sherea, for being sweet! **_**:D**

**-**

**-**

**XoXo… **_**CHAPTER FIVE (PART II)**_**…oXoX**

**-**

**-'I'd like to… be a Princess'-**

**-Part Two-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

_The sound of footsteps running, coming closer every minute was heard outside the dark and silent room. Unknown to Mikan and Natsume, they caused a panic among the maids of the Sakura mansion who desperately tried to find them before something bad might happen. Or worse… before the parents found out about their disappearance._

_The leader of this 'hunt', was none other than the cause of it. _

_Misaki, who pleaded for the help of her fellow co-workers, assigned herself to search the deserted part of the mansion, just in case they strayed there unexpectedly. She was already searching for about an hour and a half already._

"_Himiko-sama will kill me for this", she thought as she searched every nook and cranny. Just imagining her aunt furious gives her goose bumps and possibly nightmares._

_She passed through a hallway of rooms and checked all of it. There were dust everywhere and cobwebs on the corners. The curtains had holes, probably rats nibbling on them, and cushions torn, the stuffing overflowing. _

"_Why on earth would two kids want to hide in places like this?" she thought as she barged through room to room._

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-Present Time-**

**-**

**-**

Mikan slouched on her makeshift throne and sighed heavily, bored to death. She glanced below and saw Natsume sitting on the floor, a manga in his hands.

"How come I didn't think of that?" she thought.

It had already been an hour since the maze opened and until now, no customer has been able to reach that far. Both sides were doing their best… the customers, if female, would like to have a chance to see Natsume up close and be lucky enough to get him to be her slave and if male, wanted to fight with Natsume; and if perhaps, he wins, he'll get the glory of beating the heartthrob of the academy and of course, getting someone to be his slave. So the game's goal, which was supposed to be **Mikan and the slave** turned out to be **Natsume and the slave.** Poor Mikan.

Outside, many students and other visitors lined up and waited anxiously for their turn. Aside from the prizes, they also heard it was an enjoyable game. It was, by far, the best attraction in the academy. Replacing the stage was a big screen where the LCD played the short skit over and over again. Every few minutes, it would flash the different locations of the players inside and how they're doing.

Hotaru, with her other classmates, operated the LCD and the other hidden cameras in the maze. They also informed their classmates if a player was approaching them so they could prepare. It was like playing soccer. The class was always on defense. There were midfielders, defenders and finally the goal keeper, which was obviously Natsume. They didn't want anyone to pass 'cause of course, none of them wanted to be a slave… even if it is only a small chance they would be chosen.

In the game, the players and also the class or castle defenders wore a helmet with some kind of ring that stood up. The inside of the ring was covered with paper and the object of the game is to defeat the castle defenders by busting a hole through their ring without damaging their own or else they lose. Before entering the maze, the customer must pick a number from a fishbowl and the weapon corresponding to that number will be for his attack and defense.

**-**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-**

Mikan yawned and stretched. She rubbed her watery eyes due to her sleepiness. As expected, it was really boring. She glanced back at Natsume who was still engrossed with his manga.

"Natsume, can I see your manga for a while?" Mikan asked.

He merely glanced at her and said "No."

She pouted. "You're so selfish!"

"So I've been told." He replied, not bothering to look at her.

"I'm bored… more than I expected to be…" she said touching her finger tips together.

"You should've brought something to entertain you then." He replied, his voice dull as ever.

"Come on! Let me borrow it!" Mikan tried once more.

"You'll just get bored. It's a shonen manga, plain and raw. There's none of those seen in chick flicks." He said.

"Try me." She dared. Natsume threw his manga at her and she caught it. She started to read.

After flipping through the pages she realized that he was right, it bored her. Mikan stood up to give it back to him. She was surprised to find him listening to his iPod, his eyes shut.

"Natsume! Why didn't you tell me you brought your iPod!" she said sitting beside him, not minding her dress anymore.

He opened his eyes to glance at her then continued to ignore her. He was still a bit pissed at what she said before.

Mikan, unknown she had offended him, pinched his cheek.

"Ow!" Natsume said, slapping her hand away and stroked his reddened cheek.

"That's for ignoring me!" Mikan said as she removed Natsume's left earphone and placed it on her right ear.

Natsume glared at her but didn't say anything else. They sat there listening to the songs downloaded in his iPod. Mikan bobbed her head up and down to the beat. They stayed like that for a while.

"Natsume, I'm getting hungry", Mikan said taking off the earphone. Natsume did the same and pocketed his iPod.

"I hope we get a break soon; I need some fresh air! If not, I hope someone brings us food…" she said.

"Hn. I bet _your Seiji_ will be willing to serve you, your highness", he said sarcastically, standing up.

"Why are you so against Seiji? He's your friend!" Mikan said standing up as well.

"He's more of yours", Natsume murmured but Mikan heard it.

"You know what, I don't get you these couple of days! Ever since Seiji arrived you seem so… distant", she said.

"Distant? Are you sure I'm the one distancing myself?" he said with a burst of annoyance. He looked a bit hurt as he glared at her.

"Natsume?" Mikan thought, confused at his sudden outburst.

He looked away. "You're… different…" he said quietly. Mikan couldn't understand what he meant.

Then the back door suddenly opened and the indirect cause of the argument entered.

"Mikan, Natsume let's go! We have an hour break!" Seiji said unaware what just happened.

Natsume walked past him, clenching his fists in irritation. Seiji noticed his frustration and looked at Mikan, waiting for an explanation.

Mikan bent her head in melancholy. "I don't want to talk about it." She said as he tried to approach her. She slid past him without another word.

She went straight to the ladies' comfort room and locked herself in a cubicle.

"What's happening?" she thought as she rested her back on the door. "Aren't we best friends anymore?" she thought sadly.

Outside, Natsume sat isolated from the others. He swayed to and fro on the swing of the deserted play ground at the back of the old school building where Mikan used to sit… He remembered an experience from years ago…

**-**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-**

**-An hour later-**

**-**

"Seiji?" Ruka said in disbelief as he took his ticket from him.

He just grinned at him. "Why? Aren't we allowed to play?" he asked.

"Err… no. It's just that… you're the first." Seiji smirked at what he said.

Ruka handed him the fishbowl and he put his hand inside and pulled out a fake jewel inside with the number 7 engraved on it. Ruka handed him his weapon… a sword.

"Well, good luck." Ruka said as he handed him the helmet with the stand-up ring. Seiji secured it on his head and entered the maze.

Hotaru saw him enter through the hidden camera and wondered if he can reach up to Natsume…

**-**

"_Seij's approaching. His weapon is a sword." _Hotaru whispered to his male classmate through the microphone.

"Right." He replied and hid behind one of the pillars and took out an arrow. He heard footsteps. Seiji was approaching.

'Hmm… if I remembered correctly, Hamasaki must be hiding over-' His thoughts were interrupted as an arrow passed him, almost hitting his ring.

He looked in front and saw Hamasaki pointing another arrow at him, an amused grin in his face.

Seiji dodged the next shot and lunged towards him. He took out his plastic sword from its sheath and aimed for Hamasaki's ring.

Hamasaki sent another arrow and Seiji bent down to avoid it.

Seiji pointed the sword to Hamasaki's stomach and he winced. Seiji immediately straightened up and poked Hamasaki's ring open.

**-**

The whole scene flashed in the LCD and the viewers gasped, amazed.

**-**

"Whoa. You're good man." Hamasaki complimented as Seiji returned the sword in its sheath.

He grinned. "So I've been told. Can I pass now?"

Hamasaki almost chuckled. "Like yeah! The other guys are in for a challenge like this! Hey, you might want to take left, Kasai's getting bored there." He replaced his ring.

Seiji smirked. "You know, you shouldn't be telling that to customers."

"Guess so. But I'd like to see you battle out with Hyuuga. There's been rumors about you guys fighting over Sakura. So what's the deal man?"

Seiji just grinned. "You'll see when I finally rescue the Princess."

**-**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-**

Natsume and Mikan sat in silence. Awkward silence to be precise.

Natsume listened to his iPod, trying to act as if he didn't care. But the truth is, he's just as troubled as Mikan.

Mikan brought her cell phone when she returned after the break. She was playing 'Canal Control' but she couldn't seem to 'control' her thoughts and emotions at the moment. Mikan Sakura was never someone who can keep quiet for a long period of time. It has already been 30 minutes and she couldn't take it anymore.

'What now? How should I start? He might still be pissed… what's his problem anyway? … I know! I should lighten things up first! A joke! Let's see…' she thought.

Natsume looked at his left. Mikan sat beside him, a goofy smile on her face.

"What happened when the fly approached the candle?" she asked.

Natsume raised his eyebrow at her. He heard this joke dozens of times before and he never laughed at it.

"It became a Firefly!" Mikan said.

Silence.

Mikan frowned. "Why aren't you laughing? That's the best joke I could think of!"

"More like remember. It's stupid and corny. But I guess you are too. You were one of those idiots laughing when our English teacher told us that in 5th grade." Natsume said bluntly.

Mikan crossed her arms in front of her chest and pouted. "And I can't believe you're my best friend!"

"I'm also your fiancé." He said seriously.

Mikan blushed. "You don't have to remind me that!" she snapped at him.

"Why? So you could go flirting with other guys?" he said.

Mikan looked hurt. "I do not flirt!" she defended.

"Could've fooled me. The way you and Takaki act…" he said in a low voice that Mikan heard.

"There you go again with Seiji! You never stop, now do you?"

"Give 5 reasons proving he's not your boyfriend!" Natsume dared.

"Sure! One: I don't like like him!" Mikan started to enumerate.

"Have any proof?" he asked.

"Yeah! If I like like him, I would've told my best friend! A.K.A You!"

Natsume groaned. "You can't possibly tell me about that! I'm already your fiancé!"

Mikan ignored that. "Two: If I like like him, I would've already asked him out! He's easy to talk to and he's my former classmate- I'll have no trouble speaking to him openly!"

"If you asked him out, more girls will hate you. They'd think you're two timing me and him! And you're a coward!"

Mikan looked hurt. She couldn't control her emotions much longer

"**THREE! We're already engaged! Who's stupid enough to go looking at other guys when they're already engaged!"**

"_**Your mind may think about sense but you can never stop your heart from defying reason."**_Natsume answered, his bangs covering his mien.

Mikan was speechless. She never expected an answer like that from Natsume.

Why? Why does he doubt her like that?

"You're my best friend. You're supposed to trust me… especially now… more than ever." Mikan said looking away.

Natsume didn't reply. But he did understand her… maybe he did go a bit too far with his emotions…

The uncomfortable silence was broken when Hotaru spoke in their earphones.

"Prince and Princess. Contestant Seiji Takaki approaching. Weapon: Sword."

Their eyes widened. Who would've known, it was him who would be the first to get that far?

"Be prepared. This scene will be shown in the LCD." Hotaru said.

Mikan and Natsume looked at each other in surprise. As soon as their eyes met, they turned away.

Natsume spoke first. "Hey… go back to your throne. Show's about to begin."

Mikan looked at him. He approached his post and took out his sword from its sheath.

Mikan got up and proceeded to her throne. "And… sorry." He added.

Mikan instantly gave a faint smile but didn't reply.

That's why they're best friends… they always manage to fix any misunderstanding.

She sat on her throne, a smile on her face.

-

Both of them appeared in the screen. All the people came to watch, anxious to see what will happen.

"I'll be free Prince Natsume. Free at last." Mikan said.

Natsume looked back at her and smirked. "You're mine. I won't let you escape so easily." He replied.

The crowd squealed. "I love Natsume!" a fan girl said.

Hotaru and Ruka were also watching, "Was that part of the plan?" he asked.

Hotaru shook her head and said nothing more.

**-**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-**

Natsume stood in front of Mikan's throne, his sword on his right hand.

Seiji came from the left. His sword was also in his right hand. He looked at Natsume and Mikan and grinned.

"Getting bored?" he asked.

"You have an advantage since you already know your way here." Natsume said in reply.

Seiji smirked. "Thought I'd spice things up back here." He held his sword with both hands and pointed it at Natsume.

Natsume did the same.

"Good luck both of you!" Mikan cheered.

"What's this Mikan? You're cheering for the evil prince?" Seiji said looking at her.

Mikan chuckled. "He may be evil, but he's still my best friend." She replied.

Natsume smiled inwardly.

"Whatever you say…"

"_Whoever wins, I'll be happy either way."_ Mikan thought.

She looked at Natsume. _"But of course, you have my full support."_

-

Seiji had all his attention at Natsume and so does the raven haired guy.

They stared at each other, eye to eye, not breaking contact.

The crowd held their breaths.

Then, Seiji decided to attack first. He charged at Natsume with his sword, their blades met. Like what he with Hamasaki, Seiji tried to punch open Natsume's ring but Natsume was prepared and evaded his fist. He took a step forward and slid his sword upward and busted a hole through Seiji's ring from behind.

Natsume smirked and his face was zoomed in the screen.

The girls squealed and cheered.

Both Mikan and Seiji were amazed.

Natsume put his sword back to its sheath and looked at both of them nonchalantly who were staring at him. He turned to Seiji.

"Game over. Princess Mikan is still mine." He said. _Forever._

_To be continued…_

**Thanks again so much for your reviews! I hope this chappie didn't disappoint you! Oh, and for those of you who are asking- I posted the GA manga links in profile (I'll try to find more links since the manga's not complete!) and thanks to my best bud and keypal- I managed to open them! Yipee!**

**Oh, enough of my rambling! Please review again! Thanks in advance! I'll try to update again ASAP! Ja ne!**

**-'orange-ideas' **


	8. Chapter 6: FolloW

**DISCLAIMER: GAKUEN ALICE BELONGS TO HIGUCHI TACHIBANA.**

**XoXo… **_**CHAPTER SIX**_**…oXoX**

**-**

**-Follow-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

_Mikan grabbed Natsume's arm in fright. There were loud banging noises coming from the outside and it got louder and closer every time. _

_Both fixed their eyes on the door, holding their breaths. Mikan clutched Natsume's arm tighter and closed her eyes, she carried Tama, who was trying to break loose, with her free hand. The silence was so thick that you could hear a needle fall._

_Then, a familiar voice shouted outside. "Mikan-chama! Natsume-san!" over and over again their names were called._

"_That's Misaki-san!" Mikan said and Tama broke free of her grasp. The cat ran towards the door and scratched it, trying to call for Misaki's attention._

_Mikan grabbed the book and she and Natsume ran towards the door screaming for her._

"_Misaki-san! Misaki-san!" Mikan called out._

_Natsume banged his fists on the door. "We're here! Let us out!"_

_Then they heard footsteps running towards them. "Mikan-chama! Natsume-san! Are you alright?" Misaki called from behind the door, she tried to turn the door knob but it won't budge._

"_We're stuck! Please help us out!" Mikan called out._

_Misaki struggled with the doorknob. She groaned in frustration. "I'm trying to! The doorknob's not working!"_

"_Isn't there another way? Why don't you just bust it open!" Natsume suggested._

_Misaki thought about that. She must save both of them but she can't destroy the Sakura property. _

"_Oh what the heck! Step aside kids!" She called out rolling up her sleeves. Human safety after all, goes first than private property. _

_Mikan grabbed Tama and both stepped away from the door. Natsume grabbed Mikan's hand and held on tight._

_Misaki prepared to charge; like a bull. "One… two… three!" she used her shoulder to break open the door. Luckily, the door lock and hinges were rusty and it didn't take much to break it open…_

**-**

**2 Days later**

**-**

_Natsume slouched on the couch, his manga lay open on the floor beside him. He looked blankly outside the window and sighed; he was world-weary._

_Everyone was out for the day. His father was attending to his usual business, his mother was having tea with the neighbors and his brother went out with his friends._

_For that day, he was the man of the house. How wonderful. If only he had something to do._

"_Young master," a maid called out._

_Natsume looked at her wordlessly, not bothering to move from his position._

"_Mikan-hime has arrived." She said, a small smile on her face._

_Natsume's raised an eyebrow. Then he heard some giggling. He looked up and saw a few maids peeking inside the room and giggling behind the double door. _

_Then it dawned to him. He stood up quickly, his hair was all messy due to his position. _

_Behind the maid, was Mikan Sakura herself._

_Natsume felt his cheeks go red in embarrassment. "What are you doing here?" he said, glaring at her, annoyed that she caught him unprepared._

_Mikan giggled and sat beside him, wearing a white dress, her hair in two pigtails._

"_Now, now Natsume," she said in a teasing tone. "That's no way to talk to Mikan-hime." She pointed to herself._

"_Hn." He said and sat back down, his arms crossed in front of his chest._

_The maids giggled at the cute young couple._

"_And what are you looking at?" Natsume barked at them._

"_Natsume-kun! Don't talk to them like that!" Mikan scolded. She turned to the maids and said "Thanks for helping me out! We'll just call you when we need anything!" Mikan said smiling._

_The maids giggled at her adorability. They left the two, still giggling to themselves._

_Mikan turned to Natsume. "So how are you Natsume-kun?"_

"_Bored." He replied curtly._

"_Daddy allowed me to come here and play with you. So what have you been up to huh?" she asked._

"_Nothing."_

"_Anything happening?"_

"_None."_

"_No interesting stuff going on?"_

"_None at all."_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_I've been sitting here all day! There's NOTHING to do!" Natsume said, with a burst of irritation._

"_That's impossible. There's always something to do Natsume-kun." Mikan said._

_Natsume just grunted but said nothing else._

_After a few minutes of silence, Mikan sighed before saying "There's always something interesting around…"_

_Then she thought for a while. "You'll be Mary. I'll be the lamb."_

_Natsume looked at her and raised his brow in confusion. "What the heck are you talking about?"_

"_I'll follow you," She said simply._

_Then she showed him the book of Nursery Rhymes she brought with her._

"_That again? Don't you ever get bored?" he sat up straight._

_Mikan ignore him. "Let's see, where is it?" she said flipping the pages. "Here it is!"_

_-_

_Mary had a little lamb,_

_Its fleece was white as snow,_

_And everywhere that Mary went_

_That lamb was sure to go._

_It followed her to school one day,_

_That was against the rule;_

_It made the children laugh and play,_

_To see a lamb at school._

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-Present Time-**

**-**

-

It was the 5th day of the Alice Festival. Mikan and Natsume's class had the best attraction so far. For the rest of the morning, the class had a break so they too can enjoy the other attractions offered.

The rumors about Mikan, Natsume and Seiji's love triangle spread faster now that almost everyone saw what happened in the RPG maze. Mikan found it hard to enjoy the festival while almost everyone stared at her and whispering about her.

To make it worse, Natsume stuck to her like glue! She didn't mind of course, but it was hard to get used to since during this festival, he normally prefers to lounge around rather than act as her body guard.

But he had no choice. Natsume knew Takaki was also following Mikan at a close distance.

Every now and then he would look around for his silver-haired rival to see if he's close by and plotting something… sounds like an evil villain.

"Natsume…"

'Good. He's not here.' He thought.

"Natsume…"

'But I'm sure he'd show up by now. Maybe he's up to something…' Natsume looked out again.

"NATSUME!" Mikan shouted nearing her face to his.

He snapped out of his 'spy mode' and found Mikan's face inches away from his.

"Hyuuga, what flavor of ice cream do you want?" Hotaru asked. Both she and Ruka stared at him in puzzlement.

"Chocolate." He said nonchalantly looking away from Mikan.

"Natsume, are you okay? You've been absent minded for the rest of the day." Mikan said.

"She's right. And you've been looking around as if expecting a bear to attack all of a sudden." Ruka said handing him his scoop of ice cream.

"I'm fine." He answered taking it from Ruka.

Hotaru just stared at him. She knew what was up with Hyuuga. Then she sensed some one approaching them from behind. She glanced back and saw who it was.

"Heads up Hyuuga." She said licking her ice cream.

Natsume looked at her and saw Seiji approaching. He narrowed his eyes at him.

"Hey guys," he greeted. People started to stare at them.

"Hiya Seiji! Having fun?" Mikan asked unaware that Natsume's getting pissed.

"Yeah. Your Alice Festival rocks. Have you seen the 2nd year's attraction?" he asked.

Mikan shook her head. "Do you know what it's about?"

Hotaru answered. "They're holding a Film Festival. But in this case, they're showing famous movies that they re-created."

"Really? That's so cool! I want to watch too!" Mikan said.

"I'm going there right now, wanna come along?" Seiji asked casually.

Natsume glared at him. When Seiji looked at his direction, Natsume looked away and tried to finish his ice cream- fast.

"Oh, I'm sorry. The four of us are going to the Elementary division's attractions." Mikan said.

Natsume smiled inwardly. But his happiness was cut short when Imai spoke up.

"That's okay. Ruka promised to buy me anything I want during the festival and I think I just saw something that caught my eye. We'll be going then." Hotaru said as she grabbed Ruka's arm and dragged him away.

"We'll see you guys back at our attraction!" Ruka called out.

"So I guess you can come now Mikan." Seiji said.

Before Mikan could even reply, Natsume cut her off. "I'm still here and we're going to the Elementary kids' attractions." He took Mikan's hand and dragged her away.

"Hey! Hold it Natsume-kun!" Mikan said as she broke free from his grasp. Natsume looked back at her, a bit shocked at what she did.

"Why don't we go there later with Hotaru and Ruka- or maybe tomorrow. Right now, I really want to go watch the movies." Mikan said.

The people who were watching whispered to each other, awaiting Natsume's response.

Natsume didn't say anything for a while. He clenched his fists tight and looked away, irritated.

"Why don't you come along Natsume?" Mikan suggested unaware of her best friend's emotions.

'And be a third wheel? Yeah right.' He groaned inwardly.

Natsume turned away from her and put his hands in his pockets and said, quite coldly "I'm going to Youichi's booth. Later." And with that, he walked away.

Mikan watched him leave. 'I thought everything was fixed between us. I thought he understands that Seiji is only a friend.' she thought frowning.

Seiji then came up to her. "Shall we go Mikan?"

"Yeah… guess so…"

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-Elementary Division's Attractions-**

"Natsume-senpai!" Youichi called, running towards him.

Hijiri Youichi is Natsume's kouhai- but he's much like a brother to him. Youichi is like the younger version of Natsume. They met years ago during one of the school fieldtrips in which Youichi accidentally mistook Natsume's bus as his class' bus. They've been friends ever since.

"Hey." Natsume greeted.

"You alone? Where's Tangerine?" Youichi asked looking behind him for Mikan who he calls 'Tangerine'.

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Busy."

"Oh… okay. Want to go to my class' booth? We've set up a Shooting Game."

"Sure." And he followed Youichi to his class booth.

There were about 10 different shooting games prepared. Youichi led Natsume to a vacant one. It was the usual 'Pop the balloon' using darts. Youichi handed him 5 darts.

"So how was your trip abroad?" Natsume asked throwing the dart and managing to hit a balloon.

"Fine. I had a bit of trouble getting back in track at school though, but it's okay now." Youichi replied.

"Hn." And Natsume threw another dart.

"Anything big happened when I was away?" he asked.

Natsume thought if he should tell Youichi about getting engaged to Mikan and the rumored love triangle… he's guessing his kouhai already knows.

'News, especially gossips travel fast.' He thought.

Natsume decided to ignore his question and focuss on the game.

"When I meant 'getting back in track at school', I don't just mean the school work senpai," Youichi continued after receiving no reply. "I know about your engagement."

Natsume had a lucky shot and hit 2 balloons at once.

"I thought so." He said.

"I just wanted to hear it from you." Youichi said, a tone of disappointment in his voice.

"It's no big deal… we're over it. Plus, it's not as if we're getting married soon." Natsume said. He managed to pop 6 balloons with 5 darts. Youichi handed him his prize, a sheep stuff toy.

Both of them walked to a nearby bench to rest. Natsume stared at the sheep for a moment, remembering a nursery rhyme in the past…

"Senpai, I also heard a rumor about you guys…" Youichi said.

"… there are a lot of rumors about us. Care to point out what you're speaking of?" Natsume said nonchalantly.

Instead of answering him directly, Youichi said "Is Tangerine with that Takaki guy now?"

Natsume had a burst of irritation and remained silent. Youichi took his silence as a 'yes'.

"I don't like that guy senpai. You should follow her."

"I'm not the lamb!" he snapped.

Youichi looked at him, baffled. "What did you say?" Though he heard him well, he just couldn't understand.

Natsume bit his tongue and cursed mentally. "Forget it. I'm not following that idiot."

**-**

**-**

_After reading the rhyme, Mikan looked at Natsume and gave him a cheery smile._

"_So… I'll be the lamb and you be Mary!" she said._

"_That's so idiotic. Even for someone like you" Natsume said._

_Mikan frowned and stuck her tongue out. "Whatever you say, you're still Mary and I'm still the lamb, got it?"_

"_Fine. But no one should ever find out about this stupid idea-!" Mikan cut him off._

"_Yeah of course! Just NEVER call it stupid or idiotic or anything else!"_

"_What's the point of you following me anyway?" Natsume asked._

"_To make your life, according to you, 'un-boring'." Mikan said, a matter-of-factly._

**-**

**-**

'I told her I'd trust her…' Natsume thought.

"But-"

"No." It was futile to try to convince Natsume cause he's so stubborn, and Youichi knew that fact too well. It was time to try another option.

"I heard the second year students are having some kind of Film Festival, wanna watch with me?" he asked.

Natsume looked at him with a 'you-know-about-it' look. Youichi tried to look as innocent and clueless as possible.

After a few moments, Natsume sighed, grabbed the sheep and walked towards the 2nd years' attraction.

Youichi grinned to himself, but hid it at once when Natsume looked back at him. "Well? Let's go." He said nonchalantly.

"Oh… yeah. I'm just going to get something from my booth. Be back in a flash!" and he ran towards his booth.

Natsume sighed and looked in the other direction.

-

Youichi, after seeing that his senpai looked away, went at the back of the booth where Hotaru and Ruka waited.

"How'd it go?" Ruka asked.

"We're going." Youichi said.

"Good. We already arranged your seats beside Mikan. Remember to stop him from leaving or having 'uncommon' squabbles with Mikan, okay?" Hotaru said.

Youichi nodded and ran off.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

"I found our seats senpai." Youichi said pointing.

Natsume looked at his direction and was shocked to find their seat right next to Mikan and… ugh, Takaki.

Mikan was talking animatedly with Seiji about her thoughts for the movie when she felt someone sit next to her. She looked to her left and saw Natsume, looking at the blank screen, and Youichi peering from his left.

"Natsume-kun! You-chan! You guys are here!" she said ignoring Seiji for a moment.

Natsume darted his eyes towards her and back the screen. He took a sip from his soda.

"Hi Tangerine." Youichi said nodding at her.

"Hey You-chan! How was your trip? Got some souvenirs for little ol' me?" Mikan said.

Youichi nodded. "But I left it in my booth. Anyway, look what Natsume-senpai got for you."

Natsume looked at Youichi in surprise.

"Really? What is it Natsume?" Mikan asked.

Natsume looked back at Mikan, then his eyes diverted to Takaki who was looking at him, completely ignored by her and looking out of place with the 3.

"I won this in Youichi's booth. Here. I don't like stuff animals." He said handing her the sheep.

"Wow! Kawaii! Arigato Natsume!" Mikan said hugging the stuff toy like a toodler. Natsume grinned.

"Nice stuffed animal Mikan." Seiji said, probably trying to get her attention or at least remember him.

And she fell for it.

"Oh, You-chan, this is our friend and old classmate Takaki Seiji. Seiji, this is our kouhai, Hijiri Youichi." Mikan introduced.

"Hey little dude." Seiji greeted.

Youichi just nodded in reply and ignored him, taking a sip from his soda. Natsume grinned inwardly at Youichi. At least now he's not the only one who hates Takaki.

But why exactly did he hate him?

'Because he's trying to attract this idiot's attention already knowing she's engaged to me.' He thought.

So does this mean he's in love with Mikan? Natsume suddenly realized it. His feelings… were changing.

The lights were dimmed and the movie started. It was, "The Titanic".

Youichi's eyes widened and cast a look at his senpai. Natsume seemed to be preoccupied with his thoughts.

He sighed inwardly. 'Thank God. I thought he'd ask me why I'd see a chick flick.' Youichi thought dumping his hand in the bucket of butter popcorn.

While everybody was preoccupied with the movie, or at least the females were since the guys were too busy eating, Natsume's thoughts were a blur.

-

**Natsume's POV**

**-**

No way. I don't LOVE that idiot.

She's my best friend for crying out loud!

_But she's your fiancé as well. _Another voice in my head contradicted.

Yeah but… I'm only trying to protect Mikan in case she falls in love with Takaki then it would be hard for her when we get married…

_Maybe you're just jealous of Takaki. Mikan already told you she has no feelings for him. You're jealous cause she's spending her time with another guy._

No I'm not jealous. Feelings change as time passes by. Who knows what will happen in the future! Besides, I'm thinking about HER feelings and not mine.

_Her feelings? So you care for her. But up to what extent does 'caring' go? How is it different from __**loving**__ her?_

-**End of POV-**

**-**

Natsume couldn't think straight anymore.

Does he really love her?

He cautiously glanced at her. Mikan was eating popcorn and had her full attention on the movie. She was hugging the sheep with her left arm.

'It couldn't be possible… you're my best friend…' he thought.

He stared back at the movie screen. 'I'm not… falling for you… am I?'

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-The end of the movie-**

There were different reactions when the movie ended. Most of the guys were laughing at the acting of the students, the girls were talking about it, constantly saying how they wished to have a love story like that. A few came out and teased the actors and some complimented them. But of course, Titanic was a movie of tragedy. And a few emotional viewers were sobbing. But none was just as dramatic as Mikan.

"I don't believe it!" Mikan took another tissue from Youichi. "Why did it have to end like that!"

She blew her nose.

"Put a lid on it Tangerine." Youichi said handing her another tissue.

"But…! But…! Oh my gosh it's just so sad!" And let out another flood of tears.

"There, there Mikan. Don't cry! You look less pretty when you cry!" Seiji said patting her back trying to comfort her.

Natsume rolled his eyes.

"How can you guys not see the flowing emotions in the movie-!" she was cut off by Natsume.

"You're right baka, it's a **movie.** Now snap out of it and let's leave this place!" Natsume said standing up.

Mikan stopped crying. His words made her realize the truth.

Silly Mikan.

Seiji stared at him as if to say 'That's her best friend?'

When he looked back at Mikan, she was only sniffing. "He's right. We better leave." She grabbed her stuffed animal and went after him.

"Whoa. He's good." Seiji said as if thinking out loud.

"Of course he is," Youichi said turning his back on him. He glanced back and said. "He's my senpai." And grinned.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

It was time for the RPG to open once more. Students were already lined up in the entrance and the class was already preparing to open up.

Natsume adjusted his cape in front of the mirror. Then, the backdoor opened to reveal Mikan already dressed up. She still has puffy eyes due to her tears earlier. She had make up on her face that covered her red, and runny, nose. Surprisingly, she still had the sheep with her.

"Alright now?" Natsume asked not looking at her.

Mikan nodded. "Thanks for your help. I know I got carried away." She sat on her throne and hugged the stuff toy tight as if trying to find comfort in it. She still had the movie in her mind.

Natsume then approached her and pressed his index finger on her forehead. "You broke the promise." He said.

Mikan looked up at him. "What? I didn't break no promise! What are you talking about?"

Natsume had his back facing her. "Fine then. As of now, you're Mary and I'll be the stupid animal." He then went outside to get a drink before their attraction opens.

Mikan was confused. "What's he talking about?" she looked at the sheep as if waiting for it to answer.

"Who's Mary?" she said out loud.

-

"_I'll follow you Mikan. Then I might finally realize what I'm feeling for you…"_

_To be continued…_

**Gomen! Sorry for updating much later! I was supposed to update yesterday- but I went on a Desert Safari (I like my henna tattoo! LOL!)**

**Thankies again for your reviews! I hope you keep on RnR until the last chappie (Which is not going to come soon)! Please leave a review! It makes me so happy to hear from you guys! Ja ne!**

**Oh! And here's a preview of the next chappie! (Lots of Fluff!)**

"_I'm so excited! This is the first time I'll be visiting a hot spring! I can't wait!" Mikan said._

"_Who'd wanna go to the girl's section anyway. Bunch of perverts." Natsume said to himself._

**Hehehe! Please don't forget to review! Ja ne!**

**-'orange-ideas'**

**-'orange-ideas'**


	9. Chapter 7: HappeningS

**DISCLAIMER: GAKUEN ALICE BELONGS TO HIGUCHI TACHIBANA.**

**-**

_**Dedicated to Tinkerbellie and Nephie-chan! Thank you both for helping me! **_**:D**

**-**

**XoXo… **_**CHAPTER SEVEN**_**…oXoX**

**-**

**-Happenings-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

_Mikan followed Natsume into the Hyuuga Garden. Her eyes glistened at the sight of the different flowers arranged into some kind of figure; it was the Twilight Corporation's logo._

"_Sugoi!" Mikan said as she bent down to smell the flowers._

_Natsume, his hands in his pockets, just looked at her. "You have flowers in your garden as well."_

"_Yeah, but not as wonderful like these! You have different types of flowers- all of them are beautiful!" she said smiling back at him._

"_Mother chooses the flowers. She also helps take care of them." Natsume explained walking towards the trees where 2 swings hung. He sat down on one._

"_I see. Now I know why these are different from my garden," She said sitting down on the other swing._

"_What is it then?" Both of them started to swing back and forth._

"_Your garden… has a mother's touch." Mikan stated._

_Natsume glanced at her. "And what difference does that make?"_

"_Simple. Some gardeners just give plants their needs to live. Mothers give plants TLC which makes them grow healthier and happier…" With that said, Mikan slowly stopped swinging._

_Natsume looked at her and frowned. "You sure know a lot about plants and…" he didn't know what to say. He tried to give a witty remark to try to take her mind of her mother but failed._

_Both of them were quiet for a moment._

"_Umm… how's Tama Mikan-chan?"_

"_The usual," she answered plainly. She was still sad._

_Natsume frowned more 'I hate girls and their sudden mood swings!' he thought._

"_You're lucky… to have a cat like Tama you know…"_

_Mikan looked up at him._

"_Mothers aren't the only ones who can give TLC- even cats… even me…" Natsume said blushing a bit and started to swing again._

_Mikan gave him a faint smile._

"_Natsume-kun… I could use some TLC at the moment…" Mikan said smiling at him more._

"_Will it make you happy if I just recite to you a rhyme?"_

_Mikan nodded and started to swing again._

"_Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, where have you been?"_

_Mikan continued it. "I've been up to London to visit the queen."_

_Natsume grinned. "Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, what did you do there?"_

"_I've frightened the little mouse under her chair!"_

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-Present Time-**

**-**

**-**

"Hot springs here we come!" Mikan cheered as her suitcase was loaded in the trunk of the car.

As expected, Mikan's class won the Alice award- the prize this year was a 2 day trip to the Hot Springs. Mikan was so excited that she barely slept a wink that night.

"Baka. Will you get inside the car so we can go to school." Natsume said from inside.

"Wait a second. I'll just say good bye to the others 'kay?" And Mikan entered her mansion again.

Natsume just rolled his eyes and started muttering to himself about women.

Misaki, Himiko-san and the other maids waited in front of the door to say good bye to their sweet Princess.

"Well, I'm going now. I'll see you in 2 days!" Mikan said.

Himiko-san approached her and gave a big hug. "Take care Princess and remember not to stay in the water for too long."

Mikan hugged her back. "I'll be fine obaa-san. It's only two days."

Himiko-san released her and it was Misaki's turn to hug her. "Don't forget to bring home some souvenirs!"

"Sure." Mikan released herself from the hug. "Tell dad… I'll see him in 2 days,"

They all nodded. Mikan gave one last smile and bid them good bye.

She slid inside the car and waved at them from the window. "See you in two days!" she called out.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Mikan and Natsume entered their classroom. Everyone was talking excitedly about the hot springs.

"Good morning Hotaru! Morning Ruka!" Mikan greeted as she skipped towards them. Natsume trailed behind, listening to his iPod.

Hotaru just looked up at her and continued to read the brochures of the hot spring resort.

"Morning guys." Ruka greeted both of them. Natsume just nodded in reply.

"I'm so excited! This is the first time I'll be visiting a hot spring! I can't wait!" Mikan said.

"Save your energy later. It's a 5-hour trip so relax a bit." Hotaru said.

"Hey guys!"

Mikan looked back and saw Seiji approaching.

"Oh hey Seiji. Aren't you excited to go to the hot spring resort?" Mikan said.

'_He'd most likely say yes and both of them will keep chattering about it like mad.' _Natsume thought.

"Hmm… not really." Seiji replied honestly.

"What? How come?" Mikan asked, surprised. Even Hotaru, Ruka and Natsume wondered why.

"Well, before leaving for Britain, my family used to have a summer house in the province and there were lots of hot springs around. We always go there to relax every summer." Seiji explained.

"Really? I've never been to a hot spring before! How does it feel?" Mikan asked.

"Well… it was kinda-"

Half of Natsume's prediction came true- they kept on chattering like the rest of the students in class. Natsume started to get annoyed and turned the volume on his iPod higher.

Hotaru noticed this and grinned. She took out her digital camera and took a shot of him glaring.

Natsume faced her. "And what's that for?"

"Memories," Hotaru replied simply. "I figured you'd wanna look back at these moments when you finally get married."

Ruka chuckled and nudged Natsume who was speechless.

Hotaru took another picture of him and Ruka. Then a shot of Mikan and Seiji.

"Well I guess pictures are better than videos…" Natsume said.

"Huh? What made you say that?" Ruka asked his best friend.

"… pictures don't have sounds. I wouldn't wanna look at a video of those two chattering like crazy." Natsume said.

Ruka laughed once more.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

"Look Natsume! There's the building I can see from my balcony! And look over there! That's where the movie- ya-ouch!"

Natsume pulled her ponytail and made her sit back down.

"Stop it already. You're too noisy. Can't you see that half of the class wants to get some shut eye?" Natsume pointed out.

Mikan kneeled on her seat and glanced at her fellow classmates behind. Natsume was right- some were glaring at her, covering their ears with pillows and others were already fast asleep- maybe like her, they were unable to sleep that night due to their excitement. Mikan sweat dropped.

"Sorry." She mumbled and sat back down.

Natsume glared at her.

FLASH! Both of them looked ahead and saw Hotaru taking pictures of them. She and Ruka were in the seats in front of them.

"Like a married couple." Hotaru commented and grinned at them.

Both of them blushed and glanced at each other. When their eyes met they quickly turned away.

Hotaru took another picture again.

"Ho-hotaru! Stop it!" Mikan said, still flustered.

"Ruka, make your annoying girlfriend stop." Natsume said.

"Oh so now I'm just Ruka's girlfriend," Hotaru said rolling her eyes. She sat back down and said. "One day you'll thank me Hyuuga. One day."

"I will Natsume," Ruka said glancing back at them. "Just as long as you keep yours quiet." He grinned.

Natsume glared at him.

Mikan understood what Ruka said. _'That's right. Now that I'm Natsume's fiancé… does that mean I'm his girlfriend too?'_ She secretly glanced at him.

Natsume was listening to his iPod once more while reading another shounen manga.

Mikan blushed a hundred colors of red. She looked out the window and tried to calm herself.

"Hey," Natsume called out.

Mikan, who felt jumpy, squeaked back. "Yeah?" She slapped herself mentally.

Natsume raised his eyebrow. "Want some chips?" he asked offering some.

Mikan got some of the chips without turning her face to look at him. "T-Thanks."

Natsume stared at her, confused.

Unknown to them, Hotaru attached a spy camera at the back of her seat, facing them. In front of Mikan and Natsume, she and Ruka watched the whole scene through her video camera and listened to them using headphones. Sneaky.

**-**

**-**

After a few minutes, Mikan fell dozed off due to lack of sleep. She hugged the sheep Natsume gave, which she brought along, and unconsciously rested her head on his shoulder. Natsume didn't mind since Mikan always does that when she falls asleep beside him, during past class fieldtrips and such.

"Mikan's asleep already. I think we should stop the camera for now," Ruka said removing his ear phones. He yawned and stretched. "I'll take a nap first."

"Fine. I'll keep on watching though." Hotaru said.

She found the whole scene interesting and decided to watch Natsume's actions for a while. The tint of red that passed by his face when Mikan rested on his shoulder didn't miss the eyes of the raven haired girl.

Soon after Ruka dozed off, Natsume removed his earphones and decided to take a nap. He glanced at his surroundings and saw everyone already asleep. He looked at Mikan, sleeping peacefully. He blushed again.

Natsume rested his head on top of hers and smelled the aroma of her strawberry scented shampoo. After a few minutes, he dozed off.

Hotaru smirked. She got out her digital camera and took a picture of them. _'Yes. You'll thank me Hyuuga.'_

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-Hot Springs Resort-**

"Welcome Class 1-B of Gakuen Alice. My name is Takumi, manager of this resort. I will give you a tour around the premises and recreation rooms, but before that I will explain to you the rules and regulations here."

Several groans were heard.

"And I thought we came here to relax." Hamasaki said.

"Sshhh! Pay attention." Yuu said.

"Yo Takumi-san! Hurry up with the explanations!" Kasai said.

"Guys!" Yuu scolded.

"Hamasaki! Kasai! Zip it!" their teacher bellowed.

The class got quiet at once.

**-**

**-**

After about an hour, the girls and boys were separated and entered their own lodgings. The students were grouped together in pairs and given their assigned rooms.

"Wow! This is our room!" Mikan said excitedly as she peered into their Japanese inspired room. She and Hotaru were paired together.

"Hn. Simple. Clean. Well lighted. Well ventilated. This will do." Hotaru said as she examined the room carefully.

Mikan sweat dropped. "Why are you inspecting our room?"

Hotaru faced the brunette, her face stoic as ever. "Why? Is there anything wrong?"

"Uh no. I was just… surprised. Well anyway, come on! Let's get going to the hot spring!"

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-Men's Section-**

"Ah… this is the life…" Kasai, the troublemaker, said as he dipped inside the water.

"You wouldn't have this life if you kept on complaining earlier on." Seiji said.

"It just sucks," Hamasaki butted in. "To have so much rules even out of the academy."

"But you shouldn't have been so boisterous back there you know." Their class president said, sitting on the edge dipping his feet.

"Speaking of rules, Prez, you're not supposed to dip your towel in the water." One said grinning at Yuu.

All heads turned to look at him.

Yuu turned scarlet. "I know. But I'm not in the water at all so…"

Someone let out a long whistle. "Someone's shy…" The other boys sniggered.

Yuu looked completely flustered.

Hamasaki and Kasai looked at each other and grinned. They started to approach Yuu predatorily.

"Why don't you join us in Prez?" Hamasaki said.

They stationed themselves putting Yuu in the middle.

"Ah… maybe later…" Yuu said looking a bit scared.

"You're not afraid of the water, are you Prez?" Kasai said nudging him.

"I think he's more afraid of you guys!" someone commented. The boys laughed.

Hamaski and Kasai looked at each other and nodded. They grinned evilly at Yuu who seemed to want to run away.

"Guys… what are you- STOP!!!" Yuu screamed as Kasai and Hamasaki tried to pull off his towel.

"Come on Prez! We're all guys here! No need to be embarrassed!" One said.

"STOP IT YOU GUYS!" Yuu cried struggling.

Ruka and Natsume were on the farthest edge and watched the whole scene in silence.

"Expose! Expose! Expose!" The guys chanted.

Yuu kicked his feet on the water and it splashed to Hamasaki's eyes. He shoved their hands away and ran far from them.

"Oh, so Mr. Honor Student wants to play rough eh?" Kasai said getting out of the water.

"GET HIM!" Hamasaki said.

Several guys got out and started to chase Yuu all over the place.

"Idiots." Natsume commented and rested his head on the ground. He put a small towel on his face and relaxed in the water.

After a few minutes of running around, Hamasaki caught Yuu, who turned out to be a fast runner, by the shoulder. The boys crowded around him.

"There's no more escape Prez. We caught you." Kasai threatened panting a bit, tired of running.

Two guys held Yuu by each shoulder in case he tried to escape. But it was impossible since Yuu looked petrified in that spot.

"Time to get in the water-"

"Ah! Stop it Miho! Stop splashing me with water!" One of their female classmates squealed.

"Then you should get in already! The water is great!" someone replied.

The boys turned their heads to the sound of the female voices. Even Natsume turned around to look.

Someone from the 'Yuu-exposure-group' went towards the bamboo fence and took a peek. His eyes widened. It was the girl's section!

"Guys… you wouldn't believe it…!"

The other boys abandoned Yuu and took a peek.

"It's the girls!" another said.

Most of the boys got out of the water to look.

"I was lying… THIS is the life!" Kasai said.

"Ssssshhhhhhhh!" said the other boys.

Kasai nodded and zipped his mouth shut.

"Gu-guys! You shouldn't be peeking!" Yuu said, who seemed to be alright now.

"Don't be such a kill joy Prez!" One hissed at him.

"He's right. Stop it you guys." Ruka went in his defense. Clearly, he doesn't want his girlfriend to be peeked at.

"I say we go and scare the hell out of them!" someone said.

The other guys agreed.

"Yeah- it's payback time for all the noise they cause in the classroom!"

"Yeah!" The boys cheered.

"As if you guys don't make any noise." Natsume said under his breath.

"We're gonna scare them without knowing it is us!"

"Yeah!" they cheered again.

"Then they'll call out our names and ask for help! Like a damsel in distress!"

"Yeah!" they cheered.

"And we're doing all of this… right now." Hamasaki finished. He looked at his classmates and grinned. "Who's with me?"

"Payback time!" the guys cheered.

"I- I- I can't let you do that!" Yuu said nervously.

The guys glared at him.

**­-**

**-**

"Shoot. I forgot my scrunchie! I'll be right back Hotaru!" Mikan said as she put on her yukata and ran off to their room.

Hotaru rolled her eyes. She went towards the door and put up a small pearl by the corner of the sliding door. An alarm.

**-**

**-**

"Naffufmfff!" Yuu tried to call out to Natsume.

He sat in the corner, his mouth was gagged and his hands and feet were tied up together. He and Natsume were the only ones left.

The boys, led by Hamasaki and Kasai, went off to the girl's section wearing paper bags with holes for the eyes, on their heads, plotting to take a peek and scare them.

Ruka and Seiji, who was also opposed much to Natsume's surprise, ran after them.

Natsume looked indifferently at Yuu's pleading face.

After a few seconds, he sighed and got up and went towards him. He removed his gag and the towel that tied his hands together.

"Thanks Natsume." Yuu said untying the towel that tied his feet.

"Hn. Just don't expect me to help you stop those hooligans." Natsume replied getting in the water once more.

"It's alright. At least you're not part of it." Yuu said and he hurriedly got dressed in his yukata and ran after the boys.

Natsume was left alone.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

"Got it!" Mikan tied her hair up in a bun. She hurriedly ran out, excited to get in the water.

She passed through the empty hallways, skipping merrily. Unfortunately, she took a wrong turn and headed… to where the boy's section was located.

**-**

"Who'd wanna go to the girl's section anyway. Bunch of perverts." Natsume said to himself.

He relaxed once more in the water and put a small towel on his head.

'I've seen Mikan's underwear plenty of times before and frankly, I'm not amused.' He thought.

_Oh, so you think you're above those guys since you've seen your fiancé's underwear before?_

The creepy voice in Natsume's head was there once more.

'Urgh. Not you again.'

_Oh yes, it's me._

Natsume felt that it was smirking at him.

_You can't blame them you know. Boys will be boys._

'Stop talking to me.'

_Aren't you worried that they might see Mikan?_

'That girl has nothing to show anyways.'

_Then what do you see in her?_

Natsume couldn't take it anymore. He splashed his face with water, a tint of red on his cheeks. He then buried himself under water.

Then he heard the sliding door open and close.

'Who could that be?' Natsume thought.

"I'm back you guys!" a cheerful voice said.

Natsume immediately popped his head out of the water and peeked behind a potted plant.

Sure enough, his eyes weren't deceiving him.

His whole body turned into the color of his eyes.

_You're enjoying this, aren't you? Natsume-kun._

Natsume cursed inwardly.

-

Mikan, being herself, didn't see the wooden sign outside that this was the boy's section. She removed her yukata, oblivious to the boys' clothes scattered on the floor, and grabbed a towel to wrap around her.

She barged in, ready to bathe.

"I'm back you guys!" she said.

But when she looked around, no one was there.

"Huh? Where did every body go? Oh well…" Mikan was far too excited to experience the hot springs than worry about the other girls.

She was about to remove her towel until a voice stopped her.

"You wouldn't want to do that." Mikan froze.

'No way. He can't be here in the girl's section-'

Her mind went blank when Natsume appeared behind a potted plant.

Mikan was petrified, her situation was worse than Yuu's.

"KKKKKKKKKKKKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" she screamed in the top of her voice.

-

On the other side, Hotaru heard Mikan scream and looked at the bamboo fence that separated the girls from the boys.

Finally realizing the situation, she just shook her head.

'That idiot.' She thought.

Then her waterproof watch alarmed. The girls stopped talking and looked at her.

"We have intruders." She said calmly.

-

Natsume winced because of her shriek.

Mikan threw a wooden pail at him. "Natsume you pervert! I can't believe you!"

She clutched her towel closer to her body and glared at him, red as well.

He evaded the pail. "You're the pervert here Sakura! Read that!" He pointed at the door.

Mikan glanced back. Her eyes widened. There was another wooden sign saying 'Men's Section'. She became redder if that was even possible.

She glanced back at Natsume.

"But I- I- I didn't mean to! I swear!" Mikan said, completely flustered.

"Hn. Whatever."

Then they heard another loud cry from the girls section. Only this time, it came from the guys.

-

"Abort! Everyone abort!"

All the boys hurriedly ran outside, afraid to be hit once more by the wooden pails, and even bonsais, the girls threw at them.

When they arrived, all of the girls were prepared. They were wearing their pink yukata and each holding something to throw. The boys haven't seen this very frightening female side until now.

Their plan backfired.

Ruka and Seiji, who has just arrived at the scene, saw the stampede of boys coming towards them. They were crushed. Literally.

"Ouch ouch ouch! My back hurts!" Ruka said trying to stand up.

Then he saw a pair of furious violet eyes glaring down at him.

He gulped. "Oh… hey Hota-"

Her fist collided with his face.

"I can't believe you joined in as well. Moron." She said.

Now that was a Kodak moment.

-

When the other side silenced, Natsume assumed the boys will be back in a matter of seconds. He turned to Mikan who was still frozen in her spot.

"Turn around. I'm getting out." He said.

"Wha-what! Kya!" she quickly turned around as Natsume got out of the water. He took his towel and wrapped it securely around his waist.

He passed by her and went to the changing area.

"H-hey! Where are you going!" Mikan called out to him.

Natsume quickly found her pink yukata. He walked towards her and threw it at her face.

"Get dressed quickly. The guys are coming." With that said, he went back inside and got his own yukata.

True enough, the door slid open and the boys entered, out of breath.

"Hu-hurry! Get in the hot spring! (pant) Before the teachers arrive! (pant)" Kasai ordered.

But then Natsume got in front of the sliding door. "Wait. Someone needs to go out first." He said nonchalantly.

"What the heck are you talking-!" the guys froze at what they heard next.

"Umm… Natsume… can I leave now?" It was Mikan.

The guys then stared at Natsume, waiting for an explanation.

"TURN AROUND!" he shouted with a burst of annoyance. They did what they were told and did not dare look back.

Natsume opened the door and Mikan stepped in. She was shocked to see her male classmates, most having wounds and bruises on their faces, facing the wall.

"Hurry and leave." Natsume said.

Mikan nodded and ran towards the door. She opened it and said before she left.

"I guess I should say… thanks." And Mikan ran away fast towards her room.

Soon after she left, the guys looked at Natsume, speechless.

Natsume glared back at them. "You keep your dirty thoughts to yourselves!" He got his clothes and went towards his room.

The boys were still quiet even after he left.

"It makes me wonder you guys… would the girls shove Natsume away if he came to their part of the hot springs?" Hamasaki said.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Mikan didn't come back to the girls' hot springs after that incident. She just sat on her futon and stared at the sheep Natsume gave, her head filled with troubled thoughts.

Then Hotaru entered the room.

"Hey. How come you never came back to the hot spring?" Hotaru asked, dressed in a stripped blue and violet kimono.

"Umm… I decided to bathe there tomorrow…" Mikan said turning away.

"Why? What's up?" Hotaru asked.

"Nothing." She replied.

Then, something hit her on the head that pushed her on the bed.

"Mikan Sakura, say hi to my baka gun." Hotaru said.

Mikan massaged her head where a lump formed. "I'd rather not be acquainted with your baka gun," she said.

"You will be unless you tell me what happened. Now, where have you been?"

"… the men's section of the hot springs." Mikan said quietly.

"And what did you do there?" Hotaru's presumption earlier was correct.

"Scared myself to death." Mikan replied groaning.

"What?"

"I mean… Natsume, who was relaxing in the water, _you-know-what_, almost saw me… _you-know-what_ as well." Mikan continued turning crimson once more.

"I see," Hotaru said plainly. "Look, I picked out a kimono for you from the changing area. We're required to wear this at dinner." She showed her a peach kimono with cherry blossom patterns on it.

"Get dressed and let's eat. Though I don't want to see _somebody_ at the moment, I'm getting hungry." Hotaru said. Apparently, she was referring to her boyfriend, Ruka.

"Huh? Okay. Give me 10 minutes." Mikan said.

_But Mikan doesn't know if she wants to see Natsume or not._

_To be continued…_

**Well? Hehehe! I really enjoyed writing this chappie! I kinda pitied Yuu though… but I loved the NxM moment! Thankies for all the reviews! I hope you keep on RnR 'til the last chappie! Please leave a review! Ja ne!**

**-'orange-ideas'**


	10. Chapter 8: OniichaN

**DISCLAIMER: GAKUEN ALICE BELONGS TO HIGUCHI TACHIBANA.**

**-**

… Gomen 100x! I'm sorry for not updating… I had writer's block… well, until now that is… I'm really sorry… my other excuses? Read the one-shot I made entitled 'Busy'… I was supposed to place an author's note here instead of a chapter… but I know you'll all be depressed receiving one full of excuses… so I made that fan fic instead… Gomen…

Well, yes I changed my penname… Shiori's Notebook… not really a penname ne?

**-**

**-**

**Reminisces Through Rhymes **

_A Gakuen Alice Fanfiction from Shiori's Notebook_

**-**

**-**

**XoXo… **_**CHAPTER EIGHT**_**…oXoX**

**-**

**-Onii-chan-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

_It was already afternoon and the sun was about to set. Young Natsume and Mikan were in the patio having some snacks and at the same time, the former was teaching the later how to play chess._

"_Ano… how does the horsey move again?" Mikan asked, unsure where to lay it down._

"_I told you it's not 'horsey' it's a knight! It can jump through other chess pieces and forms the letter L to move." Natsume explained for the 3__rd__ time that day._

"_L? You mean like this?" _

"_No. You can only move 3 squares and then 1 on the side," Natsume grabbed Mikan's right hand where she held the chess piece and showed her where to move._

"_Oh… now I get it… I think." _

_Natsume sighed._

"_Idiot." He murmured under his breath._

"_Hey! You can't blame me! I'm only 5 years old! Only a genius like you can play chess at such a young age! Besides… it's getting boring." Mikan said pouting._

_Natsume opened his mouth to make a witty remark when the glass door slid open and a 10-year-old boy entered. Natsume shut his mouth and kept quiet. He looked down on the floor and had a solemn expression planted on his face. Mikan stared at the boy who just entered._

_He had dark blue hair and eyes and a smug expression on his face. He was Natsume's older brother, Tsubasa._

"_Natsume, who is she?" Tsubasa asked._

"_Sakura Mikan." Natsume answered not looking up._

_Mikan stood up and bowed in front of him. "Nice to meet you. I'm Natsume's friend!" she said, smiling cheerfully._

"_Oh really?" he leaned down and leveled his face with hers. "I am Natsume's brother, Tsubasa. Nice to meet you too Mikan-chan."_

_Natsume looked up and met his brother's gaze._

"_What's this? Playing chess Natsu-chan?" Tsubasa said walking towards him._

"_Natsu-chan? Oh! Is that your nickname?" Mikan asked._

_Natsume glared at her. "No it's not."_

"_I'd play with you little brat, but I know you'll lose as always," Tsubasa got a cookie from the plate. "And besides, mommy isn't here to comfort her little boy." He said and smirked at him._

_Natsume clenched his fists but said nothing._

"_Well, ja Natsu-chan, Mikan-chan." And Tsubasa disappeared into the garden._

_They were silent for a while. Mikan couldn't understand why Natsume got all quiet when his brother arrived._

_Then an idea struck her._

"_Ne, Natsume-kun… are you scared of your onii-chan?" she asked straightforwardly._

_Natsume was shocked for a moment. Then he gave her a livid expression. "And why would I be?"_

_Without another word, Natsume stormed away from her._

_Mikan followed him. He sat under the Sakura tree and glared at the sky._

"_Hmm…" Mikan thought, stroking her chin._

"_Little Nat-su-me_

_Sat outside the patio,_

_Enjoying his cookies and milk._

_Along came Tsu- ba-sa_

_Sat down beside him_

_Frightened Natsu-chan away." Mikan sung to him. She rephrased the nursery rhyme 'Little Miss Muffet', thinking it would make him laugh. _

_Natsume's reaction was the exact opposite._

"_Are trying to make me angrier!?! Cause it's not funny you know!" Natsume snapped at her._

_Mikan was taken aback. "I… I'm sorry. I only sung that to make you laugh and so…"_

_Natsume grunted. "Just forget it."_

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-Present Time-**

**-**

**-**

"I'm home." Natsume said as he walked inside the mansion.

He had just arrived from the Hot Springs. And after enduring another one of Mikan's blabbering on the way home, he wanted to hit the sack at once. It didn't surprise him that the brunette seemed unaffected by the previous happenings on their trip. He knew her long enough to be sure of this.

She's almost like a sister to him…

Mikan's the closest person he knows.

Very different from his brother…

His head still filled with thoughts, Natsume headed towards the stairs. He was about to step up when a voice froze him in his place…

"Natsu-chan," a familiar voice called out.

Natsume looked up and saw his 19-year-old brother coming down the stairs. Unknown to him, Tsubasa had just arrived yesterday from his trip abroad. He greeted Natsume with a smirk on his face.

Natsume suddenly felt uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Yo. How's it going?" Tsubasa asked, walking towards him.

Natsume just shrugged and looked away. "So you're back."

"Aren't you gonna greet me?" Tsubasa asked ruffling his brother's hair.

Natsume pushed his hands away. "As if you'll do the same thing for me."

Tsubasa smirked.

"Oh, Natsume- you're back." Mrs. Hyuuga said walking towards him. She removed her garden gloves and hat and gave them to a maid waiting by. She approached her youngest son and hugged him lightly.

Tsubasa rolled his eyes and walked away.

"So how was the trip?" she asked, releasing him from her embrace.

"Fine." Natsume answered plainly.

"Did Mikan enjoy it?" she asked.

Natsume thought for a while. He doubt if Mikan considers that scene in the men's section enjoyable at all. "I guess so." He answered shrugging.

"Glad to hear it. Your father is coming home for dinner today,"

'Probably because of him.' Natsume thought. His father rarely had dinner together with him and mom since he was usually out eating with other business officials and comes home late. He guessed he freed his schedule today since Tsubasa is back…

"We're going to discuss about the Tsubasa's birthday party this weekend." Mrs. Hyuuga continued.

"I'm guessing there will be loads of business men." Natsume said. Tsubasa's 'birthday party' will be more like a business gathering rather than a celebration.

"I suppose. Well go on then Natsume. Freshen up and come to the garden. We'll have tea."

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-Alice Academy-**

**-Cafeteria-**

**-Lunch time-**

"So your brother's home?" Ruka asked after drinking his soda.

Natsume just nodded in reply. He didn't really want to bring up that subject. Unfortunately, Mikan babbled about it after her father showed her the invitation to Tsubasa's 20th birthday.

"I'm so excited Natsume! It's going to be held in Chalcedony Towers- that's like one of the most expensive hotels in the country!" Mikan babbled.

Apparently, as Natsume knows, she wasn't bothered anymore by the scene in the men's section. It only took a goodnight's sleep to make her forget.

"Whatever. Save your excitement for the occasion itself." Natsume said.

"But try not to make a fool out of yourself while you're there Mikan. There's going to be lots of business people considering it's a party held by Tsubasa Hyuuga." Hotaru said nonchalantly.

Natsume stiffened. He didn't like to talk about his brother. Especially when it comes to business.

"Anyway, what are you going to give him Natsume-kun?" Mikan asked.

"Why should I give him something?" Natsume replied twirling his spaghetti noodles with his fork.

"Because it's his birthday and you're his younger brother." Mikan said a matter-of-factly.

"God Mikan, he's 20 years-old-already! Why don't you give him a gift if you like?" Natsume said rolling his eyes.

Mikan pouted and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It's just a sweet gesture for your onii-chan." She murmured.

'_And I can't remember of a moment when we were 'sweet' with each other anyway…'_ Natsume thought.

"Speaking of sweet, Ruka?" Hotaru said looking at her so-called boyfriend.

"Hm?"

"I still haven't forgiven you so remove your arm off my shoulder." She said as she gave him an icy glare.

"WHAT?!? I told you Hotaru! I didn't do anything wrong! I was stopping the other guys from- HOTARU!" The stoic girl stood up and carried her tray away. Ruka stood up to follow her.

"Touch me again and you'll die. Come any closer and you'll face the same fate." Hotaru said as she glanced back at him.

Ruka froze and plopped back down his seat. He buried his face in his hands.

"She's not joking you know. She invented some kind of 'baka gun' and threatened me." Mikan said as she took a sip from her milkshake.

"Why can't she just try to listen to me for once!" Ruka said, exasperated.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

After lunch was a free study period. Natsume and Mikan, instead of heading towards the library knowing it be crowded for once, brought their books and sat under the Sakura tree. They invited Ruka and Hotaru along but the so-called couple had other things to attend to. In other words, Hotaru had plans and Ruka is acting like her unwanted tail.

Mikan scratched her head in irritation. Sitting down with a book in her hands is something she can't do for long…

"Ano… why do we have to study these facts about art paintings and stuff? I thought art was supposed to be wild and free like-"

"You're probably talking about abstract art. We're studying about portraits, landscapes and other realistic art." Natsume replied not taking his eyes of what he was reading.

"You sure know a lot about art considering you're reading a shounen manga and not our textbook." Mikan said sarcastically.

"Tsubasa knows a thing or two about art. There are a lot of books on that topic in our library." He replied still not looking at her.

"Really? Well, I'm not trying to sound blunt or anything but… you do seem to know _something_ about your brother after all…" she said grinning a bit.

Natsume glanced at her. She pretended not to notice and kept on reading her textbook.

"Hn. It doesn't matter anyway." He replied.

Mikan looked at him. "Yes it does!"

"So what if I know a thing or two about his interests? It's not like I'm gonna start a conversation with him or something." Natsume said, getting annoyed.

"Well why not? You're brothers! Now that you're older, you two should try to make up and-"

"You wouldn't understand since you don't have any siblings at all." Natsume pointed out.

Then he bit his tongue. That was a wrong thing to say. Especially at a moment like this. He knew that Mikan had always wished for a sibling ever since they were young…

Mikan was shocked for a second and was speechless. Then she frowned.

"… Forget what I said." Natsume said after seeing her expression. That's the closest thing he'll get in an apology.

They sat in silence for a while. Then Mikan spoke up

"Hey… do you really want to be the heir to the Twilight Corporation so as to dislike your brother?" she asked looking at him seriously.

Natsume stared at her back. "Not really. I just hate being compared."

"But that's not enough reason for you guys to be enemies."

Natsume sighed. "I told you, we're not enemies. We just ignore each other, that's all. Besides, if he wanted to be close to me he could've just approached me, he's the eldest after all." He turned his attention back at his manga.

"… Your point?" Mikan asked.

"Oh shut up. It's obvious that the eldest-" But he was cut off.

"Oh sorry Natsume. It's not obvious for me since I'm an only child." Mikan said frankly.

"Look, why are we even talking about this crap. Just get back to studying okay?" Natsume was getting annoyed.

It came no surprise to Mikan. He was always 'touchy' about this topic.

They sat in silence. Natsume, who thought his best friend had given up, continued to read his manga, indifferently.

Then Mikan suddenly spoke. "I love receiving presents on my birthday… I mean, who doesn't?"

"Are you trying to-"

"I'm just saying it Natsume-kun. Just stating a fact." Mikan said.

Natsume let out a sigh. He expected this 'lecture' from her when she started the topic earlier. Mikan is the kind of person who likes to butt in people's personal matters… for a good cause.

And she often gets it her way.

The raven-haired teen glanced at the brunette. Half amused and annoyed, he told her. "You're such a brat."

"I am not-!" She was cut off with a finger on her lips.

"I'm just stating my opinion." He replied, a smirk on his face.

Who knew she was his weakness?

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-Chalcedony Towers-**

Natsume leaned back on one of the pillars and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He looked around and saw the other guests wearing tuxedos, like him, and evening gowns. He frowned at the sight.

Natsume isn't really into formal occasions such as these. Even if he grew up attending these kind of stuff, he detested dressing up.

He glanced at the guests once more, talking with each other while drinking champagne. He felt out of place. Where was Mikan when you needed her?

Then from the corner of his eye, he saw Mr. Sakura talking with his brother. Then, a brunette walked towards them and smiled. She greeted Tsubasa enthusiastically. She wore a flowing, beige halter gown that reached inches below her knees with a small golden brooch on her upper right chest. She had simple gold jewelry and her hair was tied in a bun secured by a rose barrette. Her bangs covered a bit of her chocolate colored eyes that seemed to sparkle in delight.

But her smile made her stand out from the rest.

Natsume almost lost his balance when he realized who it was…

Mikan sensed someone staring at her so she glanced at her left. Natsume was standing alone near the pillar, looking at her. She flashed a smile at him and excused herself from her father and Tsubasa.

"Natsume-kun…" she walked towards him.

Natsume stiffened. He suddenly felt uncomfortable and so he looked away without another word.

"This place is amazing." Mikan said standing beside him.

"Hn."

"I haven't seen your brother in months. He looks really grown up."

"Duh. He's 20 years old already." Natsume said as he took a glass of champagne from the waiter.

"He-hey! Are you allowed to drink that?" Mikan said nervously.

Natsume took a sip before replying. "It's not like I'll get another glass. Besides, I'm thirsty."

"There are other drinks at the bar,"

"But I'm too lazy to go there. Relax. I don't think I'll get drunk this easily."

Mikan was still in doubt. She let out a sigh. "If you say so…"

For the rest of the evening, Mikan and Natsume spent their time talking by the pillar and occasionally eating some hors d'oeuvres the waiters served. It reminded both of them during the Sakura Christmas Party where they first met. Who knew they'd end up getting engaged?

"So… Natsume, do you have a present for your brother?" Mikan asked, sounding hopeful.

She was sure he nailed him on the spot last time.

Natsume didn't reply but glanced at his watch. He put down his glass of champagne on the decorative table and turned to Mikan. "I'll see you in a bit."

Without further explanation, he walked towards Tsubasa who was chatting with some business men. They exchanged a few words and both walked towards the elevator.

Mikan blinked in confusion. What was Natsume planning?

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Tsubasa and Natsume were alone inside the elevator. Awkward silence grew between them.

"The thing you're about to show me… it better be worth my while." Tsubasa said straightening his tuxedo jacket.

"Of course." Natsume said.

Tsubasa glanced at his younger brother.

"I was just joking… lighten up." Tsubasa said.

"You never joke around with me." Natsume said looking at him.

"I'm always joking with you. You take me too seriously Natsu-chan." Tsubasa stated, ruffling his brother's hair.

"So you mean all those times you called me a brat, you were joking…" Natsume said plainly straightening his hair back in place.

"Hmmm… I dunno." Tsubasa said honestly.

"I thought so too." Natsume said.

There was silence once more.

Tsubasa glanced once more at his brother and opened his mouth to speak. But before he could even make a sound, something went wrong.

The lights flickered and there were loud banging noises coming from outside the elevator. Everything suddenly started to tremble and it felt as if the elevator was falling. Natsume and Tsubasa pushed themselves to the wall to keep their balance.

"What's happening?!?!" Natsume shouted.

"I don't know!" Tsubasa replied, just as loud.

-

Back at the formal party, the lights also flickered for a few seconds. The loud banging echoed throughout the room and the people started to chatter with each other anxiously.

Mikan, who was watching from the sides, suddenly had a bad feeling.

'Natsume… where are you?' she thought as she scanned the room for her best friend, wondering if he had gotten back yet.

-

The elevator halted and the lights went out.

Natsume and Tsubasa panted, their hearts beating fast.

"Are you (pant) alright?" Tsubasa asked amidst the darkness.

"(pant) Yeah (pant) you?"

"I'm fine… something must have gone wrong with the power here…" Tsubasa sat down on the floor.

Natsume sat down as well. "What a surprise… considering this is supposed to be the finest hotel…"

Tsubasa smirked. "And what a coincidence that the Hyuuga sons were the ones who experienced it. Tsk tsk tsk. This is really bad for the hotel."

Natsume grinned a bit.

"So we're stuck here for now…" Tsubasa said. He reached for his tuxedo pocket and took out his cell phone. "No signal."

"Mine as well." Natsume said as he pocketed his cell phone.

"I guess we have to wait…" the eldest said.

Silence once more…

'_This is what I get for following that idiot…' _Natsume thought.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

"WHAT!" Mr. Hyuuga exclaimed. His voice echoed throughout the room. Beside him stood his wife, looking very worried.

"You're telling me that my sons are trapped inside the elevator!" he bellowed, ignoring the stares of the people.

The employee seemed to shrink in fear and embarrassment. "What kind of hotel are you running! I want my sons out of that damn elevator now!"

"Ye-yes sir! The electricians are already working on it and they should be out in 30 minutes or so-"

"I said now! Am I not paying you good money for your services!?! You fix that elevator this instant or I'll sue you for-!"

Mikan never heard what Mr. Hyuuga had to say. She was very worried about Natsume that she felt everything around her disappeared.

She took out her cell phone from her purse and tried to call Natsume but it was no use. There was no signal.

Mikan never felt so worried in her life until now.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Tension filled the elevator as the two brothers sat in silence.

Natsume and Tsubasa weren't really close… they barely knew a thing about each other. Natsume's schoolmates even knew more of him than his brother and same goes for the other.

Tsubasa then decided to speak up. "I can't believe I'm spending my 20th birthday stuck in an elevator with you."

"… and what's that supposed to mean?" Natsume said.

Growing up in an established family, Natsume and Tsubasa were always compared to each other.

Tsubasa, being the eldest, was the father's favorite and was the pride of the family. He was to be the next president of Twilight Corporation.

Natsume, on the other hand, is closer with their mother. Like his brother, he did well at school to please his father but that wasn't enough for Mr. Hyuuga. Natsume thought his father didn't care about him at all.

There was an unspoken rivalry and jealousy between them ever since they were young and both hadn't really gotten close to each other…

Tsubasa ignored his question. "We should have taken the stairs then. I'm saying it again Natsu-chan, what you were supposed to show me better be worth it."

Natsume kept quiet.

"I wonder what my guests will say. This whole elevator incident really ruins everything…"

"Look, I'm sorry if it makes you feel better. But can you please stop rubbing it in my face!" Natsume said with a burst of annoyance.

There was another eerie silence. Natsume bit his tongue. He really didn't want to argue with his brother at the moment…

When Tsubasa spoke once more, his words startled his little brother…

"Sorry," He mumbled. "I didn't mean it that way…"

Natsume stared at him in the darkness. He was very surprised. Tsubasa… never apologized to him before.

Tsubasa sensed his brother looking at him. "What's wrong?"

"… I was just…surprised." What's up with his brother all of a sudden?

Tsubasa chuckled a bit. "Aren't I amazing?" he said jokingly.

"That's why father thinks highly of you I guess…" his voice trailed off.

The situation turned upside down once more…

**-**

"_Why can't she just try to listen to me for once!" Ruka said, exasperated._

Natsume suddenly remembered Ruka's words.

'Listen huh? … Will he listen?' Natsume thought glancing at his brother. Their eyes met. Natsume quickly turned away.

"… You're lucky… to be able to please father… I… I envy you…" Natsume said in a low voice.

For the first time in 14 years, Natsume admitted that out loud. He didn't know why though… it was probably because of what Tsubasa said earlier.

"What are you talking about?" Tsubasa couldn't understand why Natsume was opening up to him all of a sudden.

Natsume didn't reply.

After a few seconds, Tsubasa decided to speak up. "I never wanted to inherit the company."

Natsume's eyes widened. "What?"

"I wanted to become a photographer… but since you're going to run a new company, I have no choice but to follow dad's wishes…"

Natsume couldn't believe what he was hearing. He always thought Tsubasa was a kind of person dedicated to his duties. That was a part of him Natsume never knew.

"Do you still like photorealism art?" Natsume asked all of a sudden.

"Umm yeah… why do you ask?"

Natsume paused before answering. "My idiot best friend told me to give you a gift. You know how simple minded Mikan is."

"You have a present for me?" Tsubasa said in shock.

"It's downstairs… it was just delivered…" Natsume said.

Tsubasa fell silent. "I guess I should say thanks… even if I haven't seen it."

"But because of that present… we got stuck here…"

Then suddenly, Natsume's phone rang…

**------------------------------------------------------------**

"Please pick up. Please…" Mikan told herself as she tried calling Natsume for the 9th time.

"Mikan?" Natsume said on the other line.

"Natsume! Oh my gosh, are you okay? How are you and Tsubasa?" Mikan asked worriedly.

"We're fine. Don't worry." Natsume said. He sensed she was really tense.

"Your father's been so furious at the hotel management. There are already people fixing the elevator so you might be out in a few minutes."

"Okay." He replied simply. "Can I talk to my mother? Is she alright?"

"She's okay. Very worried about you guys. Wait, I'll go get her."

Mikan hurriedly approached Mrs. Hyuuga who was sitting on a chair, with other anxious women trying to comfort her, looking very much troubled.

"It's Natsume…" and she handed her the cell phone.

Mrs. Hyuuga took it eagerly. "Natsume? Natsume, are you two alright?"

"Yes mother. We're alright." Natsume replied.

Mrs. Hyuuga let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness. I've been worried sick about you!"

**-Elevator-**

Tsubasa could hear their mother's voice through Natsume's cell phone.

He grinned a bit. Mrs. Hyuuga is always concerned about her children… especially with Natsume. He envied him for that…

"Can I speak to Tsubasa?" she asked.

"Okay," Natsume turned to Tsubasa and handed him his cell phone.

"Mother?"

"Tsubasa! I'm so glad both of you are okay! Oh dear, you must be really upset about all this-"

"It's alright mother. Calm down please. Your voice was so loud I could hear it when you were speaking with Natsume!"

"Oh son… are you sure you're okay?"

"Well… a bit downhearted that's all… but I guess this made my birthday more memorable…"

Natsume grinned as he listened to their conversation. Then he heard Mrs. Hyuuga sniffing.

"Oh… you're really grown up! (sniff) My precious babies! (sniff)" Both the Hyuuga sons sweat dropped. Their mother was very emotional.

"Oh mother… I'll hand this back to Natsume now okay? Stop crying, we'll be alright!"

Tsubasa handed Natsume back the phone.

"Mom?" Natsume said.

"It's Mikan."

"Oh… hey, thanks for letting me talk to my mother…"

"No problem. I was worried she might faint in uneasiness." Mikan replied.

Then there was silence. Tsubasa noticed this and smirked a bit.

"So…" Natsume started to say.

"Natsume-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"I… I was so worried." Mikan said, her voice quivering.

Natsume felt his face go red. "I… you don't need to worry. I'll be fine… we'll be alright…"

Mikan giggled a little. "I trust you. Well… later?"

"Later. Bye." And Natsume ended the call, a small smile on his face…

After the conversation, there was silence once more. Natsume didn't seem to notice though… he had Mikan on his mind.

Tsubasa grinned at his brother. Then he chuckled, which got the attention of his brother.

"What?"

"Hn… your engagement… it's going to work out well." Tsubasa said.

"What makes you say that?"

"When you were talking to each other… it's like I was watching a scene from a chick flick." He said smirking.

Natsume blushed once more. "S-stop saying things like that."

"Why? Is it too much for little Natsu-chan?" Tsubasa said in a teasing tone.

"Shut up!" Natsume said.

Tsubasa laughed again.

They were mocking each other again. But this time… they were teasing the way brothers do.

If Mikan Sakura hadn't forced Natsume to give Tsubasa a gift, the elevator trouble would have been avoided.

But if all of these hadn't happened, the brothers would remain distant with each other.

'I guess I owe her one…' Natsume thought.

_To be continued…_

**-**

**-**

Gomen if this chappie is well… lost its spark… please understand… Frankly, I find it a bit boring… not much fluff ne?

Anywayz, thank you for reading, I hope you leave a review.

Sorry again. Very sorry.

Ja ne!


	11. Chapter 9: 3 SneakS

**DISCLAIMER: GAKUEN ALICE BELONGS TO HIGUCHI TACHIBANA.**

**-**

**For ****Niane Anne Marie, thankies **_**berry**_** much:D**

**-**

**-**

**XoXo… **_**CHAPTER NINE**_**…oXoX**

**-**

**-3 Sneaks-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

"_Mikan-chama? Are you alright?" Misaki asked as Mikan entered the mansion, looking downcast. _

_Mikan flashed her onee-chan a faint smile. "Hai. I'm just a bit drowsy, that's all. Natsume-kun and I played all day! Ne, can you bring me a glass of milk?"_

"_Of course Princess. And if you're feeling that way, I think you should go to bed."_

_Mikan nodded and climbed up the stairs to her room._

_She laid down on her queen size bed with pink sheets and lots of pillows and stuff toys on it._

_Honestly, Mikan wasn't sleepy at all. With the things that happened earlier, she's not sure if she could sleep at all!_

_She has seen Natsume only twice and now they have a little argument already._

'_And I thought he was going to be a good friend of mine…' the brunette mused as she hugged one of her dolls._

_After a few minutes of idle musing, Mikan rolled to her side and reached out to her bag lying on the floor. She unzipped it and got out the book of nursery rhymes._

"_Mother…" she said. "I'm lonely… I need some cheering up…"_

_She opened the book and browsed the pages._

_Then, the door opened and light from the hallway illuminated a portion of the room. Mikan glanced back and saw her Obaa-san enter. She flashed a faint smile at her._

_Himiko-san smiled back and sat at the foot of her bed._

"_Why so quiet Princess?" she asked gently._

"_I… I had a little quarrel with Natsume-kun today…" Mikan explained sitting up._

"_I see. Did you say sorry?" Himiko-san asked gently._

"_Yes. And Natsume-kun just said 'Forget it' but I still think he's annoyed with me…"_

_Himiko said no more but stroked the brunette's hair lovingly._

"_I see you have your mother's book with you,"_

_Mikan nodded and clutched the book in front of her chest._

"_You know… I have a favorite nursery rhyme."_

"_Really? What is it Obaa-san?"_

"_The Three blind mice." She said winking at her._

"_Why?"_

"_Well… it reminded me of my mother." Himiko-san said taking the book from Mikan._

_She opened it to a certain page and began to read aloud._

------

_Three blind mice, three blind mice,_

_See how they run, see how they run!_

_They all ran after the farmer's wife,_

_Who cut off their tails_

_With the carving knife._

_Did you ever see_

_Such a thing in your life, _

_As three blind mice?_

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-Present Time-**

**-**

**-**

"And so this is how you solve the problem." Jinno-sensei said as he tapped the equation on the board with his chalk.

After the Alice Festival, things go back to normal once more. This means daily naps in the middle of math class. Some students, were already asleep, and covered their faces with books. Others were half asleep, or simply daydreaming. And one of these students, is Mikan Sakura.

She rested her face on both her palms, her eyelids opening and closing. She tried hard not to yawn- that caused her eyes to water.

Beside her, Natsume pretended to be reading his notes while secretly reading a shounen manga. And beside him was their other best friend, Ruka, who wasn't sleepy but had all his direction on his so-called girlfriend, Hotaru Imai, who was also his former seatmate but was threatened out of his seat with a weapon she calls 'Baka Gun'.

Mikan was about doze off when the bell rang signaling the end of class and start of lunch.

"Goodbye class. I'll see you all latertomorrow." The students didn't even bother to respond nor stand as the teacher walked out. Well, it's not as if Jinno-sensei cared anyway.

Mikan rested her head on the desk. "I want to take a nap…" she said to no one in particular.

"Then I'll be heading off to the cafeteria. I'm starving." Hotaru said as she got up from her seat.

"Wait for me Hotaru!" Ruka said, but Hotaru sent him a cold glare that froze him in the spot.

Hotaru walked out, and Ruka followed in a close distance. The students who dozed off, were half awake and groggily walked towards the cafeteria, their stomach overpowering their feet.

"You're not going to eat, Mikan?" Seiji asked as he walked towards her.

Mikan looked up and yawned. "After a quick nap." She replied.

"Okay then. See you guys." And he left.

She and Natsume were the only ones left in the classroom.

Mikan turned her head to face Natsume. "You're not going to eat?"

He shrugged. "I'm too lazy to fall inline in the cafeteria."

"We can share my bento box then. But first I need to get some sle-" she was cut short when the door opened. Mr. Misaki, the Science teacher, entered and glanced around the classroom.

"Sakura, Hyuuga, come with me and help me transfer the lab equipment." He ordered.

Mikan frowned.

Natsume stood up, his hands in his pockets and walked towards the teacher. "You should have slept in the cafeteria then." He whispered as he passed by. Mikan groaned and sluggishly stood up and followed him.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Mikan groaned as she carried the test tubes, Bunsen burners, beakers and other laboratory equipment back to their classroom. Natsume was left in the laboratory to help Mr. Misaki carry the other apparatuses.

She walked through the empty corridors to the direction of the stairs. She carefully climbed up the stairs, the weight of her load slowing her down. As she was about to step up, she didn't notice the small beads scattered on the stairs. Why would there some anyway?

She stepped on some and slipped. The equipment fell and glass apparatuses broke into tiny pieces. Mikan's eyes grew wide and she was unable to scream due to her fright, she fell backwards.

She was about to land backwards unto the floor when somebody caught her. Well, tried to catch her anyway.

"Ouch!" Mikan said. She looked at her hand and there were small shards from the glass apparatuses. She also had several cuts on her legs and a few on her face.

The glass pieces were scattered on the stairs.

"Ta- tangerine? Are you alright?" somebody moaned from behind.

Mikan's eyes grew wide and quickly sat up, avoiding the broken glass.

"Oh my gosh! You-chan!" It was the little gray haired boy that caught her. He also had cuts on his hands and one long slash on his cheek.

Youichi grinned and tried to sit up but whimpered when his hand touched the floor where there were few glass shards.

Mikan's eyes welled up with tears. "Oh Youichi… I'm very sorry…" She took out her handkerchief from her pocket and wiped his cheek. The handkerchief also got stained with her blood.

"MIKAN! YOUICHI!" Natsume ran towards them followed by Mr. Misaki. They heard the glass shattering in the science lab.

He cursed loudly when he saw the damage.

"Natsume… I'm- I'm really sorry!" Mikan said as she cried on his chest. Natsume pulled her closer.

Youichi grinned at them. "Don't worry sempai. We'll live."

"Goodness!" Mr. Misaki said as he reached them. A few students gathered around them.

"Mikan!" a raven haired girl broke through the crowd.

Mikan looked up and saw Hotaru. The raven haired girl leaned down and wiped Mikan's face with her handkerchief.

Mikan hugged Hotaru.

"Hyuuga, Imai. Take Sakura and this young boy to the clinic." Mr. Misaki ordered.

-

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-**

From the back of the crowd, 3 girls spoke to each other in whispers. From the way they were acting, they obviously had something to do with the so-called accident.

"Sumire… I think we over did it." One of the girls said as she stared uneasily at Mikan and Youichi.

"Yeah… an elementary student got involved. If people found out this-" the other girl was cut off.

"Nonsense." Sumire said clenching her fists. "This is all Sakura's fault in the first place."

Sumire stared at Natsume who had Mikan in his arms sobbing. Her eyes burned with jealousy and… guilt.

"Darn… it was one of my favorite necklaces too…" the other girl said.

-

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-**

**-After School-**

**-Sakura Mansion-**

"I told you Natsume, they're just cuts and scratches, I'll be fine!" Mikan said, a bit embarrassed.

She was sitting at the foot of her bed, hugging the lamb Natsume gave. There were bandages on her legs and a few band aids on her face. Natsume sat down on the chair near her bed, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"You should go home now. I'm sure Mrs. Hyuuga will be wondering where you-" he cut her off.

"I called my mother and told her everything. I told her I'll be home by dinner time." Natsume said nonchalantly.

Mikan sighed and plopped down her bed. "I hope You-chan's okay… if I wasn't such a klutz… and because of those stupid beads on the floor-"

"What did you say?"

"If I wasn't a klutz-"

"No, the last bit."

"Oh… I didn't notice some beads on the floor so I lost my balance once I stepped up. Where would those come from anyway?" Mikan thought out loud.

Natsume said nothing but thought hard. What if someone's setting up Mikan?

Then, the door opened and Misaki entered carrying a tray of biscuits and tea. Tama came trotting behind her.

"Feeling better Mikan-chama?" Misaki asked as she laid the tray on the bedside table.

"Alright now." Mikan replied as Tama came up to her and started licking her face.

"Good. Holler when you need me." Misaki said as she exited the room.

Natsume helped himself to a biscuit. "Ne, Natsume-kun… I hope You-chan's okay…" Mikan said as she caressed Tama.

"That's the second time you've said that," Natsume commented taking a bite. "He'll be fine. He's my kouhai after all."

Mikan giggled. "Guess you're right…"

" 'Course I am."

"Look at the inbox of my cell phone! So many text messages! I already put it to silent to stop the beeping! 5 messages from Hotaru, 3 from Ruka-pyon, 7 from Seiji-"

Natsume chocked on his biscuit. Mikan stood up and patted his back. She then handed him his tea to drink.

"Are you alright?" Mikan asked worriedly.

"Yeah (cough, cough) so what did (cough cough) Takaki say?"

"Oh, Seiji told me he was worried about me and that I should- hey wait a minute! There you go again acting suspicious about Seiji!"

Natsume ignored her and looked away.

"I thought we have everything clear between me and him?"

Natsume grunted. "I was just asking, is that wrong?"

"Why are you so heated when it comes to Seiji huh? You act like a jealous husband." Mikan said.

A nerve popped out of Natsume's forehead. "I am not jealous!" he glared at her.

"Oh really?" Mikan said grinning at him.

"Why would I be jealous anyway! It's not as if I like you that way…" Mikan's eyes widened. Natsume realized what he said and bit his tongue. He cursed inwardly.

An awkward silence grew between them. The only thing heard was Tama's scratching on her cat post.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-The Next Day-**

"Good morning everyone!" Mikan greeted as she entered the classroom. She was immediately encircled by her worried classmates.

At the corridor, 3 girls watched the scene, their arms crossed in front of their stomach, all looking displeased. The one in the middle seemed to be the most annoyed.

"What now Sumire?" the girl on her right asked, her gaze still fixed on Mikan.

"It seems like our plan backfired. Instead of embarrassing her we made her look sympathetic to the student body… plus Natsume-sama watches over her now." The girl on the left said.

"Shut up both of you!" Sumire hissed at them. "Don't worry… we'll get back at her somehow." She gritted her teeth.

**-**

**-**

"Sakura-san!"

Mikan turned around and saw a female student approaching her. Natsume, who was walking beside her, glanced back as well.

"Umm… yes?" Mikan said.

"Misaki-sensei wants to see you in the Faculty room."

Mikan glanced at Natsume, as if to ask if he'll come with her as well. Natsume looked back at her and shrugged. Together, they walked towards the faculty room.

**-Faculty Room-**

"Excuse me." Mikan said as she opened the door and entered. Natsume waited outside.

Misaki-sensei was sitting in front of his desk.

"Sakura-san, please sit down." He motioned her to sit on the chair facing his.

Mikan sat down and said nothing more.

"So, how are you feeling?" he asked. Mikan thought he sounded like a doctor.

"Umm… okay compared to yesterday." She replied.

"That's good to hear. Sakura, I feel quite responsible for what happened yesterday and I was thinking of how I could make it up to you."

"No no no!" Mikan waved her hands. "It's not your fault Misaki-sensei! I should've been-"

"But I'm your teacher! I apologize for…" and so on and so forth.

Mikan spent about 15 minutes listening to Misaki-sensei's apology or rather, 'reasoning out that it was his fault'.

'I wonder if Natsume is still waiting for me outside…' Mikan thought as her teacher kept on apologizing.

**-A few minutes later-**

Mikan closed the faculty door behind her with a sigh. Who would've thought Misaki-sensei made '_orations'_ when he apologized?

Natsume approached her from the side, a soda at hand.

"Where'd you get that?" she asked.

He shrugged. "A few girls talked to me. I asked them if they could buy me a soda from the vending machine. They just left actually."

"Oh how nice. Using your fan girls to get what you want. Come to think of it, this is the first time you told me you talked to one…" Mikan said sarcastically.

Natsume ignored what she said. There was also another reason why he talked to them…

"It took you a while inside, what happened?"

"Misaki-sensei orated a speech for me… for apology. Oh, and he also told me he's gonna increase my extra-curricular grade." She said grinning.

"For what reason?"

"Part of his apology." It was obvious Mikan was happy for that.

Natsume rolled his eyes. "It wasn't his fault you are so clumsy."

Mikan fumed. "HEY! I didn't slip because I was clumsy but because-"

"Yeah yeah yeah. I get it." Natsume walked away, drinking his soda.

"Come back here you bully!" Mikan dashed after him.

-

**------------------------------------------------------------**

-

**-Math Period-**

Jinno-sensei, the math teacher and head of the faculty, entered- an irritated expression on his face. The students sat back on their proper places in silence. This was no time for fooling around, especially when the strictest teacher in the whole academy is pissed. Without a greeting, he laid his books on the desk and began class.

"Pass your math assignments in front.", he drawled- his usual way of speaking.

Soon there came the sound of whispers, scribbling of guesses unto the undone homework papers and… the frantic rummaging of Mikan Sakura inside her bag. Pens, pencils, crayons, crumpled papers and even candy wrappers came flying unto Natsume's desk… all came from her bag. He rolled his eyes and glanced disdainfully at his seatmate… who was in a verge of 'explosion'.

"What is it now?" he asked in his usual bored voice.

"Natsume-kun!!! My homework! It's not here!!!" Mikan said, panicking.

"You should've checked your things before you left for school." He said.

"But I did!!! I'm sure it was here!!!" the brunette defended, rummaging through her things again, more tense than ever.

"Ba-ka." Hotaru said as she glanced at Mikan, her face still emotionless as ever.

"I swear it was here!" Mikan said.

By that time, most of their classmates had their attention fixed on her. But what's worse, is that she also got the attention of the teacher.

"What's that noise all about?!?" Jinno-sensei demanded. Then he spotted the cause of the racket. He narrowed his eyes at his, admittedly, least favorite student.

"Sakura! What's all this?!?"

Mikan stopped rummaging through her things and gulped as she saw Jinno-sensei approaching her.

"Explain your noise." He demanded, standing in front of her desk.

Mikan stood up. "Umm… I… I can't find my homework sensei…." She looked down at the floor.

"What a lame excuse. So you _didn't_ do your homework then."

"I did!" Mikan said looking straight at him.

"SILENCE!"

Mikan bit her lip. Natsume glared at him.

Jinno-sensei pointed a finger at her. "Don't think, just because you've just recently had an accident, that I'll give you special treatment. If I had known better, you were only trying to get attention!" his voice boomed.

Mikan cowered a bit. She gripped her palms tight.

"Jinno-sensei, that's too much." Hotaru defended.

"I said SILENCE!" his attention still on Mikan.

"Jinno-sensei," Mikan glanced at her side, Natsume was staring up in front, his expression never changing. "May we please start class now? I'm sure Sakura-san can make it up some way…"

"Hyuuga, you will only speak when-" the teacher will have scolded him too, pissed at his 'cool act', if Mikan hadn't cut in.

"Gomen nasai!" she said loudly and bowed.

Natsume turned to look at her. And so did Jinno-sensei.

"Gomen nasai Jinno-sensei! I promise to make it up, I do! I'll repeat the homework again! Gomen nasai!" she said, her head still bent.

"Mikan…" Natsume said, so softly that no one heard him…

There came a moment of silence.

'_I can't let Natsume and Hotaru get scolded too… argh! I'm so stupid! I hope Jinno-sensei gives me another chance…'_ Mikan thought, still bowing down.

All eyes were on her and Jinno-sensei, who was in a state of shock. Finally, he cleared his throat and said in a firm voice.

"Do it again. And write an apology letter. That's all. Let's begin class now." And he walked away, still in a bad mood.

Mikan sighed inwardly in relief. She sat back down on her desk and fixed her things.

"This must be an unlucky day." She said to herself, her best friend overhearing it.

For the whole period, Natsume kept his eyes fixed on her…

-

**------------------------------------------------------------**

-

And Mikan's day didn't get any better. Bad luck seemed to be following her around. So it seems…

Her flute has gone missing from the music room. It was a surprise since all the others weren't missing, only hers. After music class was lunch time, Mikan found her lunch in her bento box spilled on the classroom floor. Her wallet was also missing from inside her bag, she had no money left to buy lunch. Good thing Hotaru shared her lunch with her. And out of pity, the stoic girl didn't even bother to push her away when she hugged to thank her.

The misfortunes didn't stop just there. Some of their classmates found her wallet floating in the school swimming pool, none was stolen… but all the contents are, obviously, wet.

That afternoon, Jinno-sensei called Mikan to the faculty room. He found Mikan's homework in the pile. It was hers alright, and her answers. Only, there were rude writings scribbled on it. That was definitely not Mikan's fault. But the head teacher refused to believe her and gave her another load of homework and an eight page apology letter all due tomorrow.

The news of Mikan's 'torment' that day spread throughout the school like wildfire. And it was no surprise that it was exaggerated. Like instead of Mikan apologizing to Jinno-sensei earlier that day, it was said that she cursed him out loud and the teacher and almost expelled her. As if a head teacher had that kind of authority.

**-**

"I wonder why bad things keep happening to her…"

"I pity her…"

"Really? She said that to Jinno-sensei?!?"

Mikan bent her head as she passed the corridors. A lot of students were looking at her and kept murmuring things about her. It was embarrassing and frustrating.

'_Why is this happening to me?'_ she thought as she quickly strode away.

"And you know what, Imai-san and Hyuuga-sama were also caught up in her mess!"

"I knew top students like them shouldn't hang around with someone like her!"

"Maybe she's jinxed today… or for the rest of her life…"

Mikan walked away from them faster. She clutched the books she was carrying in front of her chest tightly.

'_Not Hotaru and Natsume too…'_

"I heard it was also her fault that Imai-san and Nogi-kun broke up!"

"Really!?! That's so selfish of her!"

'… _And Ruka… no! Please stop all this!' _She screamed loudly in her mind. Unshed tears started to well up in her eyes.

"I think it serves her right."

"I agree with you."

Mikan couldn't take what was happening to her anymore. She ran away from all of them.

"Mikan!" Hotaru called as the brunette ran past her and Ruka, standing at her side.

Mikan ignored them and kept running away…

She decided to hide at deserted play ground at the back of the old school building. She hid behind the old Sakura tree that hasn't blossomed for years… she wept.

Through a window in the main school building, crimson eyes stared at her…

-

**------------------------------------------------------------**

-

_**-Mikan's POV-**_

I don't get it. I really don't.

Earlier today, everything seemed fine.

Yesterday's memory didn't even trouble me. Of course I still feel guilty that You-chan also got caught up in this mess but… my friends made me feel better.

Are you punishing me Kami-sama? Was yesterday the start of it…? I hope not. I don't remember doing anything wrong.

How long is this going to last? … I don't want my friends to get into this mess too.

I wiped the tears trickling down on my face with my hand. I forgot to bring my handkerchief with me… or maybe it's missing too, like my other things.

I know someone's mad at me. I'm pretty sure he/she is the one responsible for all of this. But who? The one who took my things, vandalized my homework, and maybe even spread the rumors about me.

All of these in just one day… I must have offended that person so much…

I wonder what Mom would've told me if she sees me like this…

"But you can see me… right mom?" I whispered softly.

"Yes she can. And I suppose she told me to come here and comfort you." I almost jumped in surprise.

I looked beside me and saw Seiji holding out a handkerchief, giving a comforting smile…

"Seiji…"

-

**------------------------------------------------------------**

-

The door slammed open and a raven-haired boy strode in, a far from pleasant expression on his face.

All students inside the classroom froze in both fear and astonishment. All had the same question inside their minds…

_What was Natsume Hyuuga doing inside another classroom?_

But Natsume didn't mind their stares. In fact, he hardly noticed them at all. His mind, and probably heart as well, was set on one thing.

Then he spotted Shouda and her 2 friends sitting at their desks near the window. He narrowed his eyes at them and walked in their direction, predatorily, he also tossed a small black box in the air as he did.

He knows what's been going on. And he's there to settle it.

Sumire stood up nervously, trying to act all surprised and oblivious while as she knows that he has found out.

"Natsume-sama… it's so nice for you to visit-"

Natsume slammed his hand on their table with the black box. Everyone flinched.

"Shut it." He growled at her.

Then he slid the box towards one of her friends and opened it to reveal a necklace… the beads similar to the ones scattered on the stairs _intentionally_ the other day.

"These are just like yours, aren't these?" his query sounded more or a demand.

The girl couldn't speak. She slowly glanced at her friends who were also speechless.

"I… I… I think-"

"It's a simple yes or no question. Answer it." Natsume said, glaring at her.

"umm… yes but-"

"Then you can have it," he said pushing it towards her. "It must have been a pity that you gave it up yesterday and just ended up feeling guilty because of the outcome… I only assume you were guilty."

Then Sumire finally spoke up. "Are you saying we did all those things to Mikan Sakura today?!?"

"I never said any of those." Natsume said, still calm but his voice full of venom. "But I ask you, is it your doing?"

Sumire was taken aback. All eyes were fixed on hers. Some students in the corridors peeked inside to see what was happening. She couldn't speak.

Natsume kept his eyes on her, not even blinking.

"I… I… we… it's all her fault-!"

"Yes or no Shouda. Don't test my patience." He snarled.

Sumire was frustratred, tear were about to fall… "She has faults too you know! Why do you always side with that bitch-!"

Natsume banged his fists on her desk. "The only bitches here are those responsible for what happened today!"

"Don't call us bitches-!" Slip of the tongue.

"So you admit it then." Came a monotonous drawl from behind.

Hotaru and Ruka stood there, glowering at them.

"What a pathetic and cowardly thing to do." She said.

"Do you think we're stupid not to notice it?" Ruka said.

Sumire couldn't take it anymore, she ran towards the door but Natsume's firm grip on her wrist stopped her.

"Leave her alone." Hotaru stated icily.

"Don't you dare come near us ever again." Ruka said, his voice low and cold. It was the first time people saw this side of him. He could be just as cold as the two.

Sumire tried to break free from Natsume but his grip just tightened.

"Don't try to hurt my friends ever again," He said, not looking at her but his voice as furious as ever. "… especially the ones I love the most."

-

**------------------------------------------------------------**

-

"Seiji… thank you very much for comforting me…" Mikan said warmly as she swayed back and fort slowly on the swing.

The silver-haired teen, who was standing in front of her grinned. "Anytime Mikan, anytime."

Mikan smiled at him.

"But I wonder why this is happening to you?"

Then she stared down at the weeds on the ground. "Someone thinks I'm a weed in their life… they want me to be plucked off."

"Well, not if they get 'plucked off' first." He said genially.

Mikan looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"You've got friends Mikan. Friends who are willing to kill for you."

"Kill for me? That's too much!" Mikan said giggling a bit at the exaggeration. "But I guess you're right…"

Her thoughts drifted to Natsume, Hotaru and Ruka.

Then she sighed. "Still… someone out there hates me…" she stopped swinging. "… and I wonder why…"

Seiji suddenly bent in front of her. "That's because they're jealous."

"Jealous?" she said, looking up at him. She suddenly became aware of the proximity of their faces and looked away, blushing slightly.

"Because a lot of people love you." With that said, Seiji leaned towards her face and kissed her cheek.

**-**

**-**

"_Don't try to hurt my friends ever again… and especially the ones I love the most."_

"_Because a lot of people love you."_

-

-

_**To be continued…**_

-

-

**How was it? I hope it's okay… especially since it took time for me to make. Sorry for the long wait! I'm finding it hard to get inspired nowadays… so please help me! Please leave a review! Suggestions, comments, remarks or if you just want to make me smile- please do! Remember, I know now who are reading and not leaving a review! Bwahahaha! Peace! But thanks for reading anywayz! Till next time! Ja!**


	12. Chapter 10: FriendshiP

**DISCLAIMER: GAKUEN ALICE BELONGS TO HIGUCHI TACHIBANA. // THE NURSERY RHYMES I USED ARE PROPERTIES OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AUTHORS.**

**-**

_**For my Onee-chan Ran :)**_

_**-**_

_**-**_

**XoXo… **_**CHAPTER TEN **_**…oXoX**

**-**

_**-FRIENDSHIP-**_

**-**

**-**

**-**

"_It's her again…" The young raven-haired boy said to himself as he saw the brunette, dressed in a white balloon dress with lots of frills, approaching. She was smiling fondly at him from where he was sitting at the end of the staircase._

_A week later, the Twilight Corporation held a party in celebration of the opening of a new building it the city. Families of other big companies attended the affair. As required, they all dressed in formal clothes – much to Natsume's dismay. He hates dressing up. Mikan, however, simply loved wearing fancy dresses. Little girls of course, love dressing up like princesses._

"_Hi Natsume-kun! Do you like my new dress?" she twirled around._

_The little boy just raised an eyebrow and didn't respond. He ignored her and continued to watch the crowd mingling with each other, occasionally drinking champagne and eating hors d' oeuvres._

_Mikan frowned. 'He's still mad at me…' she thought sadly._

_Sighing heavily, she sat down beside him in silence. 'What did Obaa-san tell me to do again?' she thought. _

'_Kiss and make up… does that mean I have to kiss Natsume-kun…? I bet he'll be angrier if I do that...'_

_The brunette continued to muse silently as the other started to scratch his arm once again._

"_This sucks…" he said frowning. Like a cat, Natsume seems to have some kind of 'sensitivity' to new clothes as it always makes him itch._

_He then stood up, startling Mikan a bit. He turned towards her and said "Let's go." And he started to walk away, not waiting for her to stand up._

_Mikan was surprised and quickly dashed after him, not minding the dress she was wearing._

_-_

_They arrived at the balcony facing the garden where some guests are strolling and socializing. The corridor was empty. It was as if both of them were isolated from everyone again._

_Natsume removed the blazer of his tuxedo and placed it on the arm rest of the loveseat and sat down. He motioned for Mikan to sit down beside him and she obliged._

"_Mother told me not to take off my tuxedo jacket in front of all the guests since it would seem a bit disrespectful. But I can't help it. It was so itchy!"_

"_Umm… well, can I borrow it? I'm a bit cold you see…." She said._

_Natsume looked at her. It was only time he properly looked at her. Aside from, in his opinion only, the disgusting frills on the dress, Natsume thought she looked pretty. _

_He handed the jacket over to her. "Don't blame me if you get all itchy."_

"_Thanks. Don't worry, I won't. But aren't you cold?"_

"_Not at all. I'm actually kinda warm. Mom says I'm 'warm blooded', see for your self." He placed his hand over hers. So naïve._

_Mikan was surprised at his action. Not because it's a boy who's holding her hand but because she thought he's angry at her. Why is he holding her hand then? Natsume, not as dense as her, understood the situation and quickly removed his hand. _

_-_

_A circle is round; it has no end.  
That's how long I want to be your friend._

_A fire burns bright; it warms the heart.  
We've been friends right from the very start.  
New made friends like new made wine,  
Age and mellow till the end of time._

_Take one hand, then take another;  
Put them together and we have each other!_

_-_

_It was a cloudless night. The moon gave light to them once more, like the time when they were stuck inside the old, abandoned room. The stars were also visible. But both of them couldn't enjoy the scenery just yet…_

"_Natsume… am I really your friend?" Mikan asked seriously._

_He stared at her, a bit surprised._

"_Why did you ask that?"_

"_I thought you're angry at me… I don't want to loose a friend so quickly…" she said._

_Natsume didn't reply. He looked at the opposite direction. He really didn't know what to reply. Guys hated mushy moments like this._

_Mikan didn't know if that was 'yes' or a 'no'. She was confused as why he seems so troubled in answering._

_Then she remembered her Obaa-san._

_A cold breeze blew and Mikan's hair and dress followed its direction. She pulled Natsume's jacket closer to her body. With a heavy sigh, she made up her mind._

_Slowly, she leaned towards him, closed her eyes… 'Kiss and make up.'_

_At the moment when her lips would touch his cheek, Natsume turned to give her his answer, unaware of what she was about to do._

_Their lips brushed with each other for a split second…_

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-PRESENT TIME-**

**-**

**-**

_Tick-tock tick-tock._

Mikan stared at the wall clock of her classroom, getting impatient. She cast a glance sideways and saw that the other students were at their limits as well. It was Math class yet again. But Jinno-sensei was not teaching, or rather _babbling_ about equations, coordinates, graphs etc. No. He was _bragging_ about the award he just received from the Mathematics Convention for Teachers. Apparently, he was chosen as an epitome of how Math teachers should be… if that is even possible.

His bragging would be better than having a lesson but it turned out worse since he kept repeating all that he says. It was mind-numbing.

Mikan wanted to flee the classroom **now.** Not only because of Jinno-sensei's blabbering but also because she wanted to escape from…

_And so the bell rang._

Mikan didn't hasten anymore and quickly grabbed her bento box, that was placed on her lap for the whole period. _Prepared._

"I'm gonna do something guys so I won't be eating lunch with you today, okay? See ya!" she told her friends and without waiting for a reply, she dashed off.

Ruka blinked in confusion. He turned towards Natsume and Hotaru who _seemed_ startled as well. You can never see any emotion in those two anyway…

From the back of the classroom, a silver-haired teen stared at the doorway where Mikan passed thru, a frown forming on his face.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Natsume followed her with his eyes. Mikan was acting… more unusual these days. It irritated him that he didn't know why.

But it was probably more aggravating that she didn't confide in him anymore.

Some _friendship_ they _had._

Speaking of friendship, Natsume snapped out of him musings once he heard Ruka groan in frustration. He didn't have to look to know that Imai had strode away without giving him any chance to speak to her.

Natsume rolled his eyes at the couple. Sheesh, they were together for quite a while now. It was confusing that a single incident, or probably a small misunderstanding, could break them so easily… or break _her_ away from _him._

"Women." He heard Ruka growl under his breath. "Heartless beings."

Natsume grimaced at his friend's chagrin. Not all women are heartless. In fact, Hotaru Imai is just one big exception.

"Do you want me to get Mikan to talk to her?" Natsume asked.

"I could do that just fine." Ruka replied, his temper never ceasing.

Natsume grunted. "Well it's not as if I could talk to Imai. Reverse, it's not as if she'll tell me anything."

Ruka sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just…" His voice trailed off.

"Let's go." Natsume said as he sauntered towards the door. Ruka followed him without hesitation.

Together, the women-troubled best friends made their way towards the cafeteria. _Females fainting at their feet._

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Mikan sighed as she leaned back at the wall and sat down. The rooftop. Her new escape. Well, going to her Sakura tree was a little too obvious now.

She closed her eyes and felt the breeze blow her hair from her face.

A scene from her childhood suddenly stirred in her memory.

_Her first kiss. Probably accidental, but still a kiss._

Kiss. She then groaned as she remembered what happened with Seiji in the old play ground.

Mikan pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face in between her knees. Her bento box lay unopened on her side. She didn't really feel hungry. In fact, with all these thoughts troubling her mind, she lost her appetite.

'It's just a kiss. Well, not even a real kiss, just a peck on the cheek that's all…' She thought.

'Then… why am I bothered so much? And why… why…'

The scene when Natsume's and her lips made contact lingered in her memory.

"Why do I keep seeing that?" she thought out loud.

"Seeing what?" a familiar voice from behind asked. Mikan almost jumped in surprise.

She didn't have to look back to see who it was. She didn't want to see him standing there. She hoped he'll disappear… for now.

"Mikan, what's wrong?" Seiji asked as he cautiously approached her.

Mikan didn't want him to know that the kiss was troubling her. She needed to think of a lie, quick. Saying 'nothing' will be too obvious.

"I'm just… annoyed that Jinno-sensei's rambles earlier are still stuck on my mind…" That was a good excuse, wasn't that?

"Oh." And he proceeded to approach her. Mikan then stood up.

She faced him with a forced smile. "I forgot that I have some stuff to do. I'll see you later then." She grabbed her bento box and dashed before he could even reply.

But then he called out to her loudly, she stopped on her tracks- regretting it that now she couldn't pretend to ignore him. Because he caught her attention.

"I'll talk to you soon. Okay?"

Without bothering to reply, Mikan went away.

'You're not the only one planning to do that…' Her thoughts drifted to her raven-haired best friend whom she knew, noticed the change in her.

Well, she's not dense anymore. She's a poor actress. And Natsume's too observant.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

**-After School-**

"She what?" Natsume hissed at his old driver- a believer of the notion 'Looks can kill'. And thank Natsume for strengthening that belief.

It was an hour after dismissal time. Most of the students had gone home already. But some, like Natsume, had to stay later for extra-curricular activities. Natsume is one of his batch's representatives. Apparently, Imai left early before the news of a meeting could reach her, Natsume became the replacement.

Obviously frustrated about what happened, Natsume's temper rose when he found out that Mikan left early without him. To think that she _promised_ to wait for him.

Natsume was going to use that time after school to talk about her behavior. But she was gone.

"Did she leave me a message before she left?" he said with gritted teeth.

The driver gulped. "Yes. She said sorry. Something came up." Trying to use as little words as possible.

Natsume groaned. She was avoiding him. HIM! Of all the people!

"Where could that idiot be?" he said out loud.

The driver cleared his throat. He started to speak, hesitantly "Don't worry young master… I'm sure she'll be fine with her guy friend-"

"What? Who's with her?"

"Umm… a boy… with silver hair…"

Natsume already knew who he was referring to when he uttered the word 'boy'. _Seiji Takaki._

He clenched his fists in irritation. 'She should've told me she was with him…' he thought sourly.

"Fine. Head home." Natsume slid inside and slammed the door shut.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Mikan never expected '_soon'_ to be this afternoon.

"Can I get you kids something?" a friendly waitress asked.

They were in a small café near the bookshop, not far from school. It just opened recently so there weren't many customers at that time.

"Order anything Mikan. It's my treat." Seiji told her smiling gently.

How in the world did she end up here?

"Umm… a chocolate shake would do just fine." Mikan said, looking down at her clenched fists on her lap.

"Two chocolate shakes then." Seiji told the waitress. She nodded and left.

Silence.

"This seems like a nice place isn't it? How convenient that it is just beside the bookshop. A lot of bookworms are going to be thrilled." He said conversationally.

Mikan just nodded in response, still not meeting his gaze.

"I heard of this place through an article in the paper. It feels… cozy, ain't it? Everything around here seems brand new and antique at the same time!"

She nodded once more.

Silence.

Seiji frowned then sighed. "Mikan, I'm glad you decided to come. But it's like I'm talking to a wall you know…"

"I'm sorry then."

His frown deepened. Mikan felt the hairs on her neck stand up because of his penetrating gaze. Why in the world did she agree to come in the first place?

'Because it's easier to talk to him about the _incident_ than with a clueless Natsume.' She thought.

She heard him sigh. "Does it bother you that much?"

Both knew exactly what he was referring to.

Then their shakes arrived. Mikan took a sip immediately to delay her answer. Seiji never removed her gaze from her.

"Mikan." He said.

Mikan bit her lip. Was she going to lie? Well, it's obvious he already knows the answer.

"Actually… no, it doesn't. Well, maybe a bit but… something else is troubling me more…" she said as softly as possible.

"Is it related to Natsume?" he asked. Mikan was surprised and before she could even stop herself, she met his gaze. She was unable to look away as soon as their eyes met. Mikan was at a loss for words.

Seiji took her silence as an affirmation. He then grinned. "I should have known." He then ran a hand thru his hair.

"What is it you anyway?" she asked, almost cruelly.

Seiji took a sip of his shake. After a few seconds, he answered. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

Mikan's brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

To her surprise, he chuckled. "Come on… you can't be this dense not to notice."

She then glared at him, getting more annoyed. "You're sounding like Natsume. Stop that."

"Really?" his eyes showed amusement. "That's a good thing I guess."

"What? Why?"

Seiji stared at her for a moment, contemplating on what to do... or say. Then he sighed before answering.

"Let me be forward. I really like you Mikan. And even if Natsume is your fiancé, I don't think you feel the same way about him as he is with you. "

Mikan's eyes widened. Still staring straight at him, she could see the honesty and determination in his deep black eyes.

"I mean, how would you know any way? He doesn't even voice out his thoughts."

Mikan's mind ceased to function. She realized Seiji insulted Natsume but that was far from her concerns at the moment. She was too caught up with his confession to think straight.

"So Mikan, will you go out with me?" he asked once more.

She was at a loss for words.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Natsume paced in his room, still troubled by the fact that Mikan and Takaki were alone together…

He grunted and messed up his hair in frustration. She's driving him nuts!

He walked towards his side table and got his cell phone. He was about to text Mikan when it suddenly beeped signaling he received a text message. It was from Ruka.

_Do you have plans for this Sunday?_

Natsume was puzzled. What was Ruka up to? He quickly replied to him.

_None. Why?_

After about a minute, Ruka texted back. His message was long.

_I'm going on a… 'somehow' date with Hotaru. She only agreed to come with me to the movies if I promised to bring you and Mikan along. She said it would be like a double date…_

Natsume raised his brow. What was Imai thinking?

_I think I can come… but I'm not sure about Mikan._

It took a while before Ruka could reply. Natsume, however, didn't notice it. His concentration was back on his brunette best friend. A double date? She'd flip! Natsume knew Mikan was very keen about keeping their relationship… as normal as it was before. It didn't bother him that much. But even if he _almost_ accepted the fact he's only a best friend to her, he's still her fiancé! At least she should try to be… less friendly with other guys.

Then he received another text message from Ruka.

_I texted her already. She says she'll come._

'And she didn't bother to call me up and explain for what happened earlier…' he thought sourly.

Before he could even reply, Ruka sent him another text message.

_12 noon, Sunday, Movie Theaters at the Himura Plaza._

Natsume then decided to wait for Sunday to let Mikan explain.

_I'll be there. See you. –N._

He closed his flip open cell phone and tossed in on his bed. He sat down on his carpeted floor and leaned his head back unto the mattress of his bed. Natsume closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

He hoped this Sunday will sort everything out between Ruka and Imai.

And also between him and Mikan.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Mikan's stomach was doing flip-flops all day. Her heart was no different as well. It kept beating so hard and fast that she felt it might jump out of her rib cage. She looked at her watch for the umpteenth time that day. She looked at her hands that were gripping her skirt so hard that it would leave creases. Mikan glanced in front of the car. After a turn right, she would arrive in front of the Himura Plaza. Knowing how close she already is made her feel… sicker.

'What's wrong with me?' she thought, her stomach churning again. 'Why am I feeling so nervous? It's only Hotaru, Ruka and Natsume…'

Natsume. She suddenly remembered what Seiji told her…

"…_I don't think you feel the same way about him as he is with you."_

'What does he mean by that?' she continued to contemplate that she didn't notice the car stopping in front of the plaza.

"Mikan-chama?" The driver called her, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Oh yes. Umm… I'll just call you when to pick me up, okay?" Mikan said, smiling uncertainly.

"Yes Hime. Enjoy the movie." With a nod, Mikan stepped out of the car. She immediately spotted her 3 friends near a pillar, aloof from each other.

Taking a deep breath, she walked towards them, trying to look casual and 'Mikan-like' as possible.

"Hey you guys!" She said in an excited voice.

The three looked up at her, clearly absorbed in their own thoughts before she arrived.

"What took you so long? The movie's gonna start in 10 minutes." Hotaru said, still expressionless.

"Gee Hotaru. I was hoping for a warmer greeting." Mikan said as she gave her a bear hug which the later didn't return.

"Hey Mikan. Glad you could come." Ruka said. It was obvious from his expression that he was really glad.

"Of course! It's been a while since we guys bonded with each other!" she replied. Then her gaze met Natsume's. And a new sensation in her arose.

She felt her blood flow up her cheeks, her knees suddenly felt weak and her breathing inconstant. What's up with that?

"Hey." He greeted, indifferent to Mikan's reaction.

"Natsume." She croaked at him. How stupid she _finally_ felt!

"We already bought popcorn and drinks. Let's get inside now." Ruka said.

"We should have done that in the first place. The movie's free seating you know. I don't want to end up sitting next to people demonstrating PDA." Hotaru said as she walked on ahead.

Mikan reddened a bit. She felt sicker. Unwanted images flashed through her mind.

Ruka followed Hotaru closely. Mikan however, was oblivious that her companions were already walking away. All except Natsume.

"Oi. Let's go." He called.

"Huh? Oh… yeah…" And the two trailed behind their other companions in awkward silence.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

Mikan always believed in kismet. But being optimistic, she never believed fate was unkind. But after that moment in the movies, now she does.

Hotaru was right. They got bad seats. Well, maybe not that bad if you looked at Ruka's point of view… It was actually great if you refer to that meeting as a 'double date.'

Ruka and Hotaru were stuck at the farthest corner of the movie theater. A kind of place where a couple would most likely spend their 'moment'. But Hotaru and Ruka weren't a couple were they? Or if they were, they weren't a 'normal' pair.

Mikan and Natsume however, were not as lucky as their friends were. They sat at the edge of a row of senior citizens, most likely availing their free movie passes from the city hall, their seat separated by the stairs. What's… worse is that sat in a 'love seat', the kind where there's no armrest separating the both of them.

Perfect. Just perfect.

'Not.' Mikan thought, still feeling jumpy. Natsume, on the other hand, _seemed_ unconcerned and kept eating popcorn and sipping his soda.

"Want some?" he offered, not taking his eyes off the screen where commercials were being played.

"Thanks." Mikan said scooping a handful.

And that was the last conversation they had throughout the movie. Mikan was unable to concentrate on the movie for she was too busy trying not to… reenact the cliché scenes in romance novels and films. Like brushing arms, hands, fingers… or falling asleep on your partner's shoulder. The movie, which was surprisingly a sci-fi one picked out by Hotaru according to Ruka, was so boring. Natsume, based on her observation, seemed interested because he never looked away from the screen. The brunette looked behind her to see if the other two were just as bored as her, unfortunately, she couldn't see them in the darkness. Mikan sighed and got out her cell phone. Only another hour till it ends…

**---x**

"Ruka… let's go." Hotaru said standing up.

"What? The movie's not yet finished…" the blonde boy was confused.

"Let's… talk in another place…" she said, her voice lower than her usual tone.

"What?" Ruka almost gasped in surprise.

Hotaru frowned at him. "Do you seriously think I'm interested in sci-fi movies?"

Ruka blushed. "Uh… okay… let me just text Natsume." He said taking out his phone from his pocket.

"No," Hotaru said grabbing his hand.

They looked at each other for a moment…

"Um… why?" Ruka asked, feeling more flustered.

"Because he and Mikan have issues themselves. Now come on."

Without letting go of his hand, she pulled him towards the exit. Ruka looked at Hotaru for a moment, then at her hand grasping his. With a burst of courage and confidence, he entwined his with hers. She didn't pull away and slowed up her pace to match his.

They exited the mall hand in hand and walked towards the park.

**------------------------------------------------------------**

"Where the heck could they be?!?" Mikan said exasperated as she scanned the crowd of people exiting the movie theater.

Natsume leaned against the wall, one foot propped up against it.

"They must have left during the movie." He said.

"Well how come? Why didn't they tell us?"

"Think about it for a sec. They needed to talk in a place away from prying eyes." He said nonchalantly.

"Prying eyes? Talk? What the heck are you saying?" Mikan asked, clueless as ever.

Her raven-haired best friend sighed. "Imai and Ruka aren't exactly together right now, aren't they?" he tried to give her a clue so as not to explain any further. The brunette, however, didn't get his point.

"Yeah. So?"

Natsume groaned and stood up straight. "Gossip spreads fast in the campus, Mikan. And Imai isn't really on a level that cares about what people think but that doesn't mean she doesn't listen once in a while."

"So Hotaru wants to get back together with Ruka?" Mikan asked unsure.

"I don't think she hates her title 'Ice Queen'." Natsume said, then he rolled his eyes. "And to think I'm the guy here. Really, are you sure inside your mind is some 'girl code' or something or is it just a vast, empty plain?"

Mikan looked hurt for a second. Then she stuck out her tongue at him. "Well I'm sorry for being stupid!"

"You're forgiven." Natsume replied, leaning on the wall again.

They stood there in silence for a few minutes, watching the people in the movie theater. Both didn't know what to do next.

Mikan saw that there were many couples on dates. From teenage lovers to married couples, they we're swarming the place. Most of the people in the theater were by twos- that included her and Natsume. She sneaked a glance at him and saw that he was looking at something intently. She followed her gaze and saw the object of his attention.

A little boy and girl.

The young children, probably at the age of seven, looked around the theater frantically. They were lost. The boy had a frown on his face. He looked desperate but didn't seem like he would cry. The girl beside him looked pale and fragile. She glanced up at her companion and whispered something to him. She looked worried. The boy looked over at her and offered her a reassuring smile. The girl smiled at him faintly.

Mikan continued to stare at them. Her mind was blank and all her attention was turned onto the scene in front of her.

Beside her, Natsume let out a deep sigh. "What's next?" she heard him tell himself.

Natsume walked towards the young pair, both kids looked at him.

'What's he doing?' Mikan thought to herself. Then she found herself running after him and towards them.

"What do you want?" the little boy snarled at them. He reminded Mikan of the person beside her.

"Ren-kun! Don't be rude!" the girl said. Her voice sounded tiny yet sweet.

Natsume answered. "You are lost. We're here to help." His expression is nonchalant as he spoke.

The boy, Ren, pursed his lips and tightened his hold on his partner's hand. The girl seemed uneasy. Clearly, Natsume didn't _seem _to _look_ friendly at all. Mikan decided to butt in.

She leaned towards them and offered a smile. "Hello. I'm Mikan, he's Natsume, my best friend. May I know who you are?"

The boy answered his tone friendlier this time. "I'm Ren. This is Ayu, my fiancé." Ayu blushed and nodded.

Natsume raised his eyebrow and Mikan was speechless. What do you know? Another young couple.

After recovering from surprise, Mikan asked them. "Nice to meet you. So tell me, where are your guardians?"

"We don't know. Himasaki-san went off to buy some drinks. We waited near those posters but when we were about to go back to him, we got lost in this crowd." Ren answered.

"How long have you been wandering?" Natsume asked.

"30 minutes now." Ayu answered.

"Why don't you come with us? We'll take you to the guards for assistance." Mikan said, offering her hand to the little girl.

Ayu blushed a bit and slowly reached out her hand. Mikan smiled at her. "Let's go then." She said, leading the way.

Ren and Natsume followed closely behind them, probably still annoyed at each other.

They walked towards the old security guard near the concession stand.

"Excuse me sir. Can you help us? This little girl and boy's lost."

The guard leveled his face with Ayu's. "My my. Were we naughty and ran away?" Ayu took a step back, blushing again and Ren stood by her side glaring at the guard.

"No. We were waiting for him you old geezer." Ren answered. The guard, Ayu and Mikan's eyes widened. Natsume fought back a smile.

After a few seconds, the guard cleared his throat and spoke to someone in his walkie-talkie. Then he turned back to the kids.

"A man named Himasaki is looking for 'Ren' and 'Ayu'. He's by the Customer Service." He said.

Ayu and Ren's eyes brightened. They looked at each other and smiled. Mikan looked at them fondly.

"That's their guardian. Thank you for your help." Mikan said.

"Thank you." Ayu said, bowing.

"Humph. All he did was talk anyway." Ren said. The guard glared at him and he stuck out his tongue.

"Let's go Ayu-chan!" Ren said pulling her away. Mikan and Natsume followed them from behind, just in case.

"Ren-kun! Ayu-chama!" a stout man in his thirties came running towards them.

"Himasaki-san!" Ayu said hugging him.

"Where have you gone to?" Ren asked, his tone same as always.

"I'm so sorry. I should've-" but Ayu cut him off.

"It's okay. We were lucky Mikan-neechan and Natsume-niichan found us." She said pointing to where the two were standing.

Himasaki stood straight and bowed to them formally. "Thank you very much for helping us."

Mikan felt flustered and laughed uneasily. "Hehe… it was no problem!" Natsume just stared back.

"We better be going then. Your parents are waiting for you, worried sick." Himasaki said to Ayu.

Ren laughed. "Uh-oh! Someone's in trouble!" he smirked, teasing his guardian again.

"They don't need to worry! I'm with Ren-kun! He's my prince and he protects me!" Ayu said hugging him. The little boy blushed but hugged back lightly.

Mikan smiled. Then she glanced at Natsume who was staring at her. As soon as their eyes met, she couldn't look away.

All of a sudden, he smiled at her. Not a grin or a smirk, but a smile. Small but expressive.

The funny sensations in her body returned once more, and the blush on her cheeks was more visible now. She felt her expression drop.

"Mikan-hime, what's the problem?" Natsume asked. His voice was teasing but not spiteful.

She frowned and managed to look down. She clenched her fists. She needed to tell him. She doesn't know why… but it felt like an obligation to.

"Natsume-kun… I… I… I'm so-" but she was stopped by a finger on her lips. She met his eyes.

"It's okay. You don't need to tell me anything… 'cause I know it's hard for you." He said the last part like a joke.

"But I need to-" Mikan was cut off again.

"Natsume! Mikan!" the voice called.

They looked sideways and saw Ruka and Hotaru by the exit. Ruka had a giddy smile on his face and he waved at them overexcitedly. Hotaru looked as stoic as ever, yet her face seems calmer and brighter now. One look was all it took for Mikan and Natsume to realize that they we're back together.

"Let's go and eat you guys! I'm starving!" Ruka called out.

Natsume sighed. "Does he have to make such a scene? He acts just like you. It's annoying." He walked towards them, hands in his pockets.

It took a second for Mikan to realize he insulted her. "Hey! Come back here!"

Together, the four friends walked down the street, deciding on where to eat.

**---x**

"…_He doesn't even voice out his thoughts."_

No. He doesn't. Still, I think I have an idea what goes on inside his head.

And I know he knows me best too. He doesn't need words to know what I'm feeling or what I want to say to him.

Knowing that, I bet it's _friendship…_

That, I suppose, is what he feels for me.

Yes. That has to be it. Still, if he felt something deeper… I would still acknowledge Natsume as someone dear and special to me.

Because we don't need words to bind us together… for us to understand each other.

No matter how dense I may be.

**---x**

After that wonderful afternoon, the four friends went their separate ways. Well, sorta. Ruka and Hotaru went home together while Natsume offered Mikan a ride back.

Mikan glanced at Natsume who was reading his manga, same as always. After seeing the moments of a _very _young couple earlier today, she couldn't help but reminisce on her childhood with her raven-haired best friend.

"You know, it's bad to read while the car is moving." Mikan pointed out.

"That's not the first time you said that." Natsume replied, not taking his eyes off his manga.

How little and how much did they change in their years together.

"Hey Natsume?" Mikan asked.

"What now?"

Slowly, she leaned towards him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

This made him look up. Of course it had to.

"I never explained why I did that," she said. "My obaa-san told me in the past that I should 'Kiss and make-up.' I took it literally. I'm sorry." She prayed all her might that he understands what she's saying.

Of course he does. How could he not?

"I know," he said. "And even after all these years you're still stupid." Natsume pointed out.

"Jerk." Mikan said, and then she laughed.

-

-

_**To be continued…**_

-

-

**Again, I'm so sorry for the late update. I've been distracted. I'm so sorry! I hope this long chapter is worth your wait… :)**

**And thank you again so much for reading and reviewing my fanfic. I'm surprised to see reviews in my inbox even after updating late. Thank you very much :) Though I hope those who put it on 'Alert' and 'Favorites' leave a review. Please?**

**I hope you enjoyed this chappie. My next update? I dunno… but I ****will update.**** I don't like unfinished fanfics. :(**

**Please leave a review. Oh! And if you spot some errors, please tell me. Thanks in advance. Ja!**


	13. Chapter 11: HusH

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN GAKUEN ALICE NOR THE NURSERY RHYMES I USED. DON'T SUE. :)**

**XoXo… **_**CHAPTER ELEVEN **_**…oXoX**

**-**

_**-Hush-**_

**-**

**-**

**-**

"_Mikan-chan? Mikan-chan?" Grandma Himiko tried to get the attention of the brunette who was staring into blank space._

_It had been a week since Mikan last saw Natsume. After that incident, she was too shy to speak to him again, remembering the scene clearly in her head whenever their gazes met._

_The young girl let out a deep sigh and took one of the strawberries from the bowl, dipped it in chocolate and took a bite. Normally she'd be ecstatic at the snack prepared for her but she was too troubled to appreciate it at that moment._

_Himiko frowned at the behavior of her little Princess. "Mikan-chan," she called again, her voice sounding firm._

_This time, the girl took notice of her and turned her gaze, slowly chewing on the strawberry. Grandma Himiko had her lips pursed in disapproval. "You know that it's rude to rest your elbows on the table while eating." She chastised._

_Mikan immediately sat straight. She looked down at her hands laid on her lap and murmured. "I'm sorry…" And she truly meant it._

_Himiko-san's gaze softened when she saw the apologetic look on the child's face. She sighed and edged her seat closer._

_Mikan looked up when she felt her obaa-san stroking her hair._

"_Tell me what's wrong, Mikan-hime," her obaa-san said gently, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. She wore her hair down today, using only 2 golden hairclips to pin her bangs. She looked very much like her mother._

_And even more when her cheeks started to redden. She trusted Himiko-san, but she thought what she's about to say is too embarrassing__._

_A moment of silence passed and Himiko-san decided to speak up. "This is about you friend, Natsume, isn't this?"_

_Her eyes widened as she stared up at her obaa-san in surprise. "How did you-" but she was silenced when her obaa-san placed a finger upon her lips. The old lady began to sing…_

"_Hush little baby, don't say a word,_

_Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird._

_And if that mockingbird won't sing,_

_Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring._

_And if that diamond ring turns brass,_

_Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass._

_And if that looking glass gets broke,_

_Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat._

_And if that billy goat won't pull,_

_Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull._

_And if that cart and bull fall down,_

_You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town."_

_Mikan didn't know what to say after that. She got of her chair and sat down on Himiko's lap and gave her a warm hug._

"_I'm still Natsume's best friend… aren't I?" she asked, her voice a bit hoarse._

"_No one can ever take your place little one." She said and kissed the brunette on her forehead._

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-PRESENT TIME-**

**-**

**-**

"Checkmate." Natsume drawled as he moved the chess piece forward, winning the game for the 7th time in a row.

Mikan frowned, looking down at the chess board. Chess isn't one of her strengths, nor is it a passion of hers. She just found it interesting- the same way Natsume found her rash moves throughout the game amusing and smirked every time he outwit her. But after their latest game had ended, the latter lost his amusement.

"Rematch," Mikan declared, as she picked up the white chess pieces and arranged them in order. "Let's switch sides again. I'll go-"

"No. I'm bored." Natsume said as he leaned back on his seat, crossing his arms and his right leg resting on top of the other.

The brunette pouted. "No fair. You said you'd teach me how to-"

"I didn't say anything like that,"

"Did too!" and she glared at him.

Natsume raised his eyebrow. "Is this the part where I say 'Did not' and a battle of words begins?" he asked.

Mikan leaned back on her chair. "We could. If you'd rather do that than play chess with me." A sarcastic smile graced her lips.

"I would prefer silence." He replied nonchalantly.

"You're no fun." Mikan said.

"Says the girl who tags along with me."

The brunette just sighed in response. It was a long boring weekend afternoon and the two heirs lounged in the Sakura Mansion's library, trying to amuse themselves in any way. Mr. Sakura requested Natsume's presence for dinner that day, unexpectedly. Mikan invited him to come earlier and he arrived after lunch, bringing with him a couple of DVDs, mostly horror movies, and pizza. It had been so long since they hung out like that and both felt relieved that their relationship, having frequent of ups and downs nowadays, was still the same.

"I wonder why Dad asked you to eat with us all of the sudden," Mikan mused out loud as she put back the chess pieces in their proper order.

Natsume just shrugged in response. But he had some clue to what conversation would later on. Business. He had overheard his father talking about some foreign magnate who came to invest in the country. Inevitably, this would cause a change in the world of business, who takes whose side and the other. It was clear that their parents wanted to befriend this new tycoon for their benefit.

The teenage boy was lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Mikan already finished arranging the chess pieces.

"Alright! Let's play!" she declared, raising her fist in the air for effect.

Natsume rolled his eyes and stood up. "Your moves and plans are so predictable. You're no challenge at all." And he walked towards the door.

"But-! Hey! Where are you off to?" and she followed him outside in a hurry, leaving behind her cellphone on the desk that began to ring soon after.

-

**--**

-

Dinner was a silent affair. The clatter of silverware on porcelain plates reverberated throughout the spacious dining room of the Sakura mansion. Mikan looked up from her plate towards her two other companions: her father sitting on her left, at the head of the table and Natsume sitting across her. Both excluded an air of impassiveness that it seemed as if she was the only one noticing the awkward silence.

She hoped someone, anyone would break the ice.

And her father did. But days after hearing what he had to say, she regretted the topic had to come up.

"Natsume-kun, has your father mentioned to you about Mr. Conrad Pullman?" Takeshi Sakura asked, sipping his red wine afterwards.

"No. He hasn't Sakura-san." Natsume answered promptly. "Is he someone of importance, sir?"

"Yes. He's this new tycoon from America, who plans to start a business here," the man answered.

Mikan kept silent. She knew better than to interfere with her father, even if she was feeling left out.

Mr. Sakura continued to narrate. "I've heard he has plans to settle down her with his family, but it's not yet permanent."

Natsume nodded in response to show that he was listening. "Are you acquainted with him sir? Or perhaps my father?" By now, the raven haired boy had an idea what his and Mikan's roles come along.

Mr. Sakura shook his head. "No. But we will, soon. There's going to be a party at Mapledukes this week. I heard that Mr. Pullman has a daughter about your age- she is to inherit the company I presume. And I would like both of you to attend this event with us and befriend her."

Both Natsume and Mikan knew what he meant by 'befriending' the heiress.

"And so Mikan dear, clear all your schedules for this weekend for you shall attend this occasion with us." Mr. Sakura said, as if Mikan wasn't listening to their conversation.

"Yes, Father." She replied in a small voice.

-

**--**

-

Unlike the past few weeks, school has become bearable for Mikan. There have been no more misfortunes including her anymore, like what happened before. Jinno-sensei didn't loose his temper on her than often. And Natsume's fan girls, particularly Shouda and her gang, didn't bother her anymore.

The only problem now is Seiji.

She still hasn't given him a response yet. But she already knew the answer: she just wanted them to remain friends, if that was possible. In truth she didn't have any deep feelings for him. And that's the reason behind it, not because of Natsume's hidden feelings for her… or as Seiji thought. But even if Natsume really didn't have any feelings for her, she would still turn him down- Natsume is her fiancé after all.

And yet knowing this, Mikan refused to believe Natsume had any other emotions towards her other than friendship.

Mikan knew it was rude to keep him waiting. But it was hard for her to turn him down, it's the first time she ever done it before and he's been the first to ask her out. And yet Seiji was making it more complicated by avoiding her all of a sudden.

The hours flew by fast and soon it was dismissal time. Mikan watched as Seiji walked out the door with some other guys. But she saw through the window that he went the other direction in the corridor. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. She abruptly stood up and turned to her side, Natsume was engrossed in his manga, but apparently waiting for her to signal them to go home.

She was about to tell him to head home without her till Ruka suddenly spoke up. "Hey, you guys wanna come with us? We're going to checkout this new bookstore and café that just recently opened up." He was referring to the café Seiji took her before.

Mikan was about to decline but Natsume beat her to it. "Sorry. Mikan's got plans with my mom."

"Yeah sorry. I've got to talk to- hey, what?" she asked Natsume.

The teenage boy stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Didn't I tell you? My mother's taking you, or us, shopping for this weekend's event." He answered nonchalantly.

Mikan gaped at him.

"What's with this weekend?" Hotaru asked.

"There's this party and we were told to befriend the heiress of this foreign magnate in town." Natsume said nonchalantly.

"Too bad. I thought we could all go to my family's forest lodge this Saturday." Ruka said.

Mikan finally found her voice. "What? How come you told me just now?"

Natsume shrugged. "I forgot. You don't have other plans today, do you?"

Mikan sighed and shook her head. Maybe next time then.

-

**--**

-

Mapledukes is a small part of town in Mikan's community where hotels, shopping outlets, bars and casinos flourished. It is run mostly by foreign entrepreneurs which is the reason why most foreigners crowd the place. The highlight of the place is the world famous 5 star hotel, named after the place itself, Mapledukes Grand Hotel- where the party is to take place.

Mikan fidgeted in her knee-length beige-colored halter dress and strappy sandals. She has attended parties before but never once was she actually obligated to mingle with the other guests, especially a certain heiress whom she was to befriend but doesn't know a thing about.

_Well, befriend means getting to know each other._ She thought, but to her father, befriending a heiress and a commoner are two different things.

Mikan checked her reflection on the spotless marble floor for the hundredth time. Natsume, who stood beside her looking impassively at the guests filling the ballroom, focused his attention on the brunette.

"Stop it. You look fine." He hissed at her.

Mikan met his eyes. "Sorry, I can't help it. I'm just so nervous! What if she doesn't like me? What will father say!"

The teenage boy just rolled his eyes. "Quit worrying about trivial things, stupid."

"You could at least try to comfort me instead of insulting!"

Natsume was about to reply, beginning one of their meaningless squabbles till he caught his father's eye and he beckoned to them.

"That's our cue." And before Mikan could even protest, Natsume put an arm around her waist and lead her to where their parents stood. Mikan shut her mouth upon his touch.

When they arrived, Mr. Sakura went towards her daughter's side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'd like to introduce you to my daughter. Mikan, this is Mr. Conrad Pullman and his family."

"Nice to meet you, sir." And she bowed politely.

Mr. Pullman was a tall man about in his 40s with light blond hair, blue eyes and a round belly. He held a flute glass in one hand filled with white wine. Behind him stood a Japanese woman with straight black hair, grey eyes and a kind face, she was introduced as Arisu Pullman his wife. Mikan was so captivated by the woman's beauty that she partly heard what Mr. Pullman had to say until he took her hand.

"Also a pleasure to meet you little miss," he replied in a deep voice as he took Mikan's hand and held it for a brief time. Mikan smiled faintly back, surprised by his actions.

Then Mr. Hyuuga spoke up. "And this is my youngest son, Natsume, who I am please to say, is engaged with Miss Sakura."

Mikan blushed at his side comment but Natsume didn't seem fazed at all, he just stood there and looked back at Mr. Pullman which one may consider defiant.

"Good evening, sir." Natsume spoke up.

Mr. Pullman nodded at him and turned towards their parents. "Wonderful children you have. May I introduce my daughters," he looked behind him and tilted his head in their direction. A beautiful blonde girl, who inherited the features of her mother but took her father's blonde hair and blue eyes, stood before them.

Mikan tried not to gulp. If she was captivated by their mother's beauty, she was intimidated by their daughter's aesthetics!

"The heiress to my fortune, Felicity-"

"Call me Eli." She cut in, giving a warm smile, mostly directed towards Natsume but Mikan didn't seem to notice.

"and my youngest daughter, little Ayu."

At the name, Mikan and Natsume turned their attention to the little girl behind the eldest daughter.

"Mikan-neechan! Natsume-niichan!" It was the lost little girl they met in the theater before. Ayu's grey eyes, much like her mother's, sparkled in delight and she gave Mikan a hug.

Mikan lost most of her insecurity and bent down to return the embrace. "Ayu-chan! How are you? How's Ren-kun?"

At the mention of the little boy's name, Ren Kirasaki who is the son of the owner of the biggest exporting company in Japan, stepped from Natsume's direction.

"Onii-san," he said to Natsume. The latter nodded back and ruffled the boy's hair. Ren, surprisingly, didn't seem to mind that much.

"You know each other?" Mrs. Pullman asked. She was surprised like the other adults.

Ayu nodded. "They're the ones I'm telling you about Mom. They helped me and Ren when we got lost in the theater."

Then unexpectedly, Mr. Pullman began to chuckle. "Well I'll say, what benevolent children you have."

"Yes, they're good kids, aren't they?" Mr. Sakura said casting Mikan an appraising look.

Mikan smiled shyly and caught Natsume's eyes. She chuckled and he grinned at her. A message past between them, that only best friends would understand…

"Well isn't that nice of you two." Said a voice. Mikan and Natsume looked up and saw 'the heiress' grinning at them.

"So you guys and these little twerps are already friends. Well I'm a bit jealous. I wish I was lost at the theater too. Then I guess I'd be friends with you guys too." Eli Pullman said, her hands akimbo.

Natsume raised his eyebrow at her directness while Mikan was speechless.

_Wow… she's so…_

"Hn. Buzz off, you hag." Ren grumbled under his breath. He then took Ayu's hand and said to Mikan and Natsume "Let's go Mikan-neesan, Natsume-niisan." And he and Ayu scurried away.

Mikan didn't know what to do. She really wanted to go off with the kids but she was unsure what to do with… Eli the heiress. Apparently, Ren-kun wasn't too fond of her, and also Ayu too perhaps for she didn't chastise Ren like before… she glanced towards Natsume for solutions, but the heiress took care of everything.

"You're… Natsume, am I right? I'm Eli, nice to meet you," and she took his hand to shake, flashing him a charming smile.

"Yeah, same here," he replied and removed his hand from her grip only to place it upon Mikan's shoulder. "This is my best friend, Mikan."

"And your fiancé as I've heard." Eli said smirking at them. Mikan felt uncomfortable at her gaze.

"Well then, we'll leave you dears to get acquainted, more wine Mr. Sakura? Mr. Hyuuga?" And Mr. Pullman led the adults away, greeting other guests as they passed by.

Mrs. Hyuuga sent Mikan a reassuring smile, conscious of her discomfort, and went away. Mikan smiled faintly back.

_Why am I feeling so…?_

"So how does it feel to be engaged in such a young age? You guys are what? 15?" Eli asked.

"Well Natsume's 15 and I'm turning 15 on-" Mikan started but was cut off.

"Really? Same as _moi._ When's your birthday?" she asked.

"November." Natsume curtly answered.

"So soon! I'll be here till late December. So are you going to have a party or something?" Eli pressed on taking a step closer.

"It's still too early to decide."

"Well you should! And don't forget to invite me," she winked.

Mikan just stood there speechless. She looked up at Natsume to see his expression but he just stood there, impassive as before. She hadn't expected Eli to be so vibrant and loquacious. But then again, that's what an heiress is supposed to be- someone confident and poised. If she was to compare herself, they were both so different from each other…

_No wonder she's to inherit the company, even if female… she knows how to be… 'it'…_

The epiphany made her feel more insecure around the heiress. And Natsume noticed this, Mikan suddenly stiffened in her place. Eli turned her attention on her.

"Natsume said you're best friends, is this true?" she asked, assessing her clothes looking at her from head to foot.

Mikan only nodded in response.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Eli giggled. "Kidding. So how does it feel being engaged?" she repeated her first question.

"Oh… well…" she trailed off, feeling Natsume's stare bore in her.

"I think you're lucky to be engaged to Natsume. He's pretty cute, don't cha think?" Eli said.

Mikan looked at her and saw Eli giving Natsume a flirtatious smile. Natsume, on the other hand, still faced Mikan, an unfathomable expression on her face.

Mikan felt her face redden when she caught his eye and looked away. Then she saw Ren and Ayu rushing towards them.

"Mikan-neechan! Natsume-niichan! Let's go outside! There are fireworks!" Ayu called, breathless from running. She took Mikan's hand and dragged her towards the balcony. Ren did the same with Natsume.

Every evening, the Mapledukes Grand Hotel held a pyro-show featuring different fireworks imported from different countries. Light filled the clear, cloudless sky and the sound of the explosions filled the air.

"Isn't it beautiful Mikan-neechan?" Ayu asked, her face full of glee.

Mikan smiled faintly back, she was reminded of a memory from the past...

She looked behind and her eyes searched the crowd of people behind her who also watched the event for Natsume. And she saw him in the corner, Eli chattering next to him…

And Mikan felt a wave of sadness flash in her…

-

**--**

-

Mikan spent the rest of the evening with Ayu, Ren, Natsume and Eli. She enjoyed the time she spent with the two kids; making funny expressions at the tastes of the hors d'oeuvres served, laughing at the anecdotes they shared and guffawing at Ren's impersonation of some guests.

Eli stayed by Natsume's side for most of the evening, much to Mikan's dismay. She couldn't understand the sudden feeling that arises in her whenever she sees them together. Natsume doesn't seem to mind, but he doesn't show any interest as well.

_I should feel relieved that she's the one 'befriending' us…_

"I play chess as well," she overheard Eli saying. "It may seem quite nerdy, but I enjoy it. My friends back home always tease me of being a 'double.' I like fashion and books. I play sports and I play chess. I know how to play the guitar and also the piano."

"You seem like you can do anything," Natsume drawled.

Eli chuckled and punched his shoulder playfully. "Oh hush,"

Mikan frowned at them. Before Natsume could see her staring, she switched her attention back to Ren and Ayu, who were (much to her surprise) also staring at the two.

"Your sister's sucking up to Natsume-niisan," Ren sneered. "She likes him, doesn't she?"

"Shh! Ren-kun! Mikan-neechan might hear you-oh!" Ayu saw Mikan looking at them, confused at what she just overheard.

Both looked up guiltily at the older brunette.

"D-don't worry Mikan-neesan! You're much more suited for Natsume-niisan!" Ren assured.

"Yeah! And anyway, Natsume-niichan likes you too!" Ayu piped in.

But Mikan couldn't understand. And she looked back at the two, only to see Natsume staring directly at her, his mien unfathomable and his eyes hid his emotions.

-

-

_You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town._

_No one can ever take your place little one._

_-_

_-_

_**To be continued…**_

-

-

-

**Okay, well… I'm very sorry for not updating in the past. I ran out of ideas and it took a while to get my writing muse back… and then, unfortunately, I lost the USB where ALL of my fanfics are stored… so it took me a while to start writing again because I lost the draft and side notes I made for this fanfic. So yeah, it sucks. Big time. **

**Really sorry. ):**

**And also thank you to my readers and reviewers (I'm sorry if I can't reply to all of you guys!) who still give time to read this fanfic of mine even if it's been a while when I last updated. Thanks for your support guys! You don't know how much I'm grateful.**

**BTW, there's going to be another GA Reader's Choice Awards! Checkout My Hopeless Romantic's profile (you can find her in my favorite authors list)**

**Please don't forget to leave a review. :) Thank you.**

**So yeah, this is one long author's note so… I'll end it here.**


	14. Chapter 12: AgaiN

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN GAKUEN ALICE NOR THE NURSERY RHYMES I USED. DON'T SUE. :)**

**-**

**-**

**_Dedicated to Ate Erinn :)_**

**_-_**

**_-_**

_**XoXo… CHAPTER TWELVE …oXoX**_

_**-**_

_**-Again-**_

_**-**_

_**-**_

_**-**_

_Mikan Sakura arrived at Gakuen Alice Preschool Division early that Monday morning. It was unfortunate that the first day of school would turn out to be a rainy day for the school prided itself of its natural surroundings in the campus. Mikan was excited yesterday afternoon, having heard of the majestic playground it had and wished to be the first one on the swing. But as she walked along the empty hallways toward the classroom, she had wished she came much later._

_It wasn't a surprise to her that the classroom was empty upon her arrival._

_The little brunette sighed as she walked towards a desk. She chose one that was near the window at the middle row. Putting down her bag beside her table, she took out the book of Nursery Rhymes her mother had left her._

Why does it have to rain on the first day of school?_ She thought sourly, flipping the pages of the book mindlessly._

_With her chin resting on the palm of her hand, she started to read silently and was soon lost in the pages of the book. She didn't even notice that a few minutes later, the door opened and closed and her raven haired friend walked in._

_Natsume stood there for a while, waiting for her usual greeting whenever she saw him. Then he realized that the brunette was too engrossed with her book._

"_Typical." The boy murmured. He sauntered towards her chose the desk behind her as his seat. Mikan was still oblivious to this._

_After a few seconds of silence, Natsume decided to speak up- which ignited a shriek from the latter._

"_Boo."_

"_KKKKKKKKYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"_

_-_

_Eensy weensy spider_

_Climbed up the water spout_

_Down came the rain_

_And washed the spider out_

_Up came the sun_

_And dried up all the rain_

_And the eensy weensy spider_

_Climbed up the spout again._

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-PRESENT TIME-**

**-**

**-**

"Hey baka,"

_Scribble scribble._

"Oi, I'm talking to you,"

_Scribble scribble._

"Mikan."

_Scribble scribble._

"Hey. Mikan."

_Scribble scribble._

"Put that damn pen down and look at me,"

_Scribble scribble._

At the end of his patience, Natsume grabbed the notebook she was writing upon and flung it towards the shelf of books in front.

"Hey!" Mikan said outraged. "Can't you see that I'm busy?!" She stood up and picked up her notebook on the floor.

"And I've been trying to talk to you, are you _deaf?_" Natsume replied, glaring at her. The brunette returned the glare with equal hostility.

"Will you two pipe down," Ruka said jadedly, peering from behind the shelf. "Hotaru and I can't concentrate on our project."

"He started it!" Mikan said pointing an accusing finger at the raven haired lad who just rolled his eyes at the childishness.

"Why don't you two just split seeing as you can't get along for now," Hotaru said, stepping out from behind Ruka. "It'll do all of us a lot of good."

"Gladly!" And Mikan stormed out of the library before any one could react.

Hotaru and Ruka were as surprised as the other students in the library who witnessed the scene. It was the first time they've seen Mikan Sakura react so… violently. Ruka glanced at Natsume who was left alone.

Looking at the direction where Mikan left, he had a stern expression on his face and his fists were clenched at his sides.

"What's up with you guys?" Ruka asked careful not to madden his best friend more.

"Did something happen at the party?" Hotaru asked, her voice nonchalant as her expression.

"Leave it." Natsume growled. He was just as clueless as them as to Mikan's recent behavior.

He grabbed his school blazer hung on his chair and stormed out of the library to the opposite direction Mikan exited.

Ruka turned towards Hotaru and asked. "Is this another one of their lovers' quarrel?"

"That or Mikan's just PMS-ing." She replied.

-

**--**

-

It was Monday, the week after meeting Mr. Pullman and his family. It was also perplexing for Mikan that she was snappish towards Natsume. She knew he didn't do anything wrong…

_Just flirted with Eli throughout the party._ She thought sourly as she put an apple on her tray.

Then she shook her head in disapproval. _What am I thinking? He's just following what Dad told us to do._

After paying for her lunch, she took her lunch tray and walked towards a vacant table facing the window. She sat down started to eat her noodles absentmindedly.

_But I don't like it… he knows she fancies him and yet… _

Deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice Hotaru sat down on the seat opposite her, carrying with her a tray of rice balls. Natsume and Ruka were nowhere in sight.

Mikan finally noticed her companion when she felt a tray shoved towards her.

"I'll trade you my rice balls for your ramen," Hotaru said, nibbling her onigiri.

Mikan looked down on her own tray. She wasn't really hungry but she didn't have anything else to do, after making a scene at the library, during lunch. Without complaint, she shoved her tray towards her friend and picked up a rice ball.

Taking a bite, Mikan tried to converse "So have you finished your project with Ruka? For what subject is it anyway?"

Hotaru made a slurping sound as she ate her ramen. "It's not really a school project. I'm trying out as a junior correspondent for a local paper. Ruka's helping me do some research."

"Oh," was all Mikan could say. Lately, the four of them haven't bonded that much anymore. It seems that there have been a lot of conflicts going on ever since the day she and Natsume got engaged that they weren't able to just chill anymore.

"What about you?" Hotaru asked, taking a rice ball.

_Her appetite's still the same._ Mikan noticed, and smiled faintly at the thought.

"What have you and Natsume been doing?" Hotaru continued.

"Huh? Us? Oh. Well…" she was unable to continue, feeling her friend's gaze bore a hole into her.

"Something's up," Hotaru concluded, continuing eating. "What's with that outburst earlier?"

Mikan let out a sigh and laid her half-eaten rice ball on the plate. "Oh Hotaru-chan… I don't know what I'm feeling…"

Surprising Mikan, Hotaru got up and took the seat beside her. Still slurping on her ramen, she waited for Mikan to start talking. And the brunette did- recounting the events that Saturday evening the best she could. Her raven haired friend just sat there- eating- and let her bawl, not making any side comments or remarks.

When the brunette finished retelling the events, she was out of breath. Hotaru passed her a glass of coke she bought together with the rice balls. Mikan finished it in one plunge.

Hotaru, who finished the ramen and rice balls, waited for her to calm herself before speaking up. "I see," was all she said.

"I'm so confused Hotaru! I don't know what's this feeling inside me… oh! And to think I haven't settled the problem with Seiji- now this!" Mikan howled, burying her face in her hands.

She didn't notice her slip of tongue, but Hotaru did. "What about Takaki?"

Mikan, who was in a hysterical mood, didn't hold back as she told Hotaru all about Seiji's confession.

It was a busy day for Mikan's best _girl_ friend.

-

**--**

-

"Today class, you will be assigned a new lab partner for our upcoming experiments." Misaki-sensei said as he stood before his students in the middle of the biology lab.

This erupted a few groans from the students, their partners were their close friends- having the freedom to choose their own since the start of the year. Mikan and Natsume, who were partners, were both quiet.

Misaki-sensei ignored the complaints. "When I call your surname, please evacuate your stool and sit on the designated spot where I assign you. Kasai and Tobita!" he immediately called out.

Yuu whimpered as he sat on the stool beside Kasai, who grinned at him knowingly, remembering the scene at the Hot Spring Resort.

Misaki-sensei called out a few random names and assigned their seats. Hotaru was paired up with Kokoroyomi, Ruka and Natsume were partnered- much to their delight and then it came Mikan's turn.

"Sakura! 10th table together with Takaki!" Mikan stiffened as she sat up. She met Seiji's eye as she took a seat on the stool beside him. Mikan quickly looked away and saw Hotaru, a grin playing on her lips, discreetly pointing a finger toward a direction. Mikan looked to where she was pointing and saw that it was Natsume, looking at her impassively yet with an unfathomable emotion in his eyes.

Mikan looked down on the marble counter and saw her troubled reflection.

"Alright class, let's begin! Turn your lab manual on page-"

And the lesson begun, though Mikan had a hard time keeping up and making notes for her mind was far away from Mendel's pea plants and genetics. She once in a while glanced at Seiji beside her who was listening attentively to Misaki-sensei's explanation on the Principles of Genetics.

Mikan realized that there was no point in trying to listen to Misaki-sensei's explanation when her mind was in a confused state so she decided to just doodle on her notebook to try and block out on other thoughts, such as noticing Natsume glance at her direction so often.

A minute later, a hand scrawled a message on the top of her notebook.

Mikan glanced up at Seiji who pretended to listen to Misaki-sensei's lectures. She read his message.

_Something bothering you?_ It read.

Mikan wrote back. _Yes._ And she pushed her notebook towards him.

Seiji wrote. _What is it then?_

_You. _Mikan wrote back. She caught his eye and they stared at each other.

Then Misaki-sensei's voice broke their gazes. "And if Mr. Takaki and Ms. Sakura stop their gawking right now, we may begin our experiment."

The class laughed and Mikan and Seiji quickly looked away from each other. The brunette felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment and kept her eyes on the marble counter, aware that if she looked up, she'll meet the gaze of someone whom she would not like to talk to at the moment.

Once the laughter subsided, Misaki-sensei passed out the lab sheets. Mikan quickly scribbled a note on her notebook and pushed it towards Seiji.

_We need to talk. Can we meet at the rooftop after school?_

_Ok._ Seiji wrote back.

Then they started their experiment.

-

**--**

-

After a long day at Gakuen Alice, it was finally dismissal time. The classroom was easily emptied as the students were eager to leave, probably to get some tickets. Mikan overheard some conversations about a foreign band performing a concert soon and that there were limited tickets left. As she arranged the things in her bag, she met Seiji's eye. He nodded at her and went towards the direction of the staircase. They were going to meet at the rooftop as agreed.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow." Ruka waved as he and Hotaru walked towards the door, both having to attend their extra curricular activities that afternoon.

Natsume nodded towards them. "Later."

"See you tomorrow," Mikan said, giving them one of her trademark smiles.

Hotaru gave Mikan a knowing look before exiting the classroom with her boyfriend.

And soon, Mikan and Natsume were the only ones left.

Mikan took a deep breath and faced Natsume. "Hey, listen-" but she was cut short when he suddenly stood up, slung his bag over his shoulder and walked towards the door.

"Hey wait! Natsume, I-"

"You better hurry up. You wouldn't want to keep your boyfriend waiting." Natsume said, stopping by the doorpost. He didn't face her when he spoke.

"What are you-? Seiji's not my boyfriend." Mikan said, trying to keep her voice even.

"Oh yeah. Sure. Whatever," Natsume said, walking out. Then she noticed her notebook lay open on her desk. The notebook where she and Seiji wrote notes. Her temper flared when she realized Natsume read them.

"Well at least I don't flirt around with people I barely know!" Mikan said, outraged.

Natsume stopped by his tracks and looked at her, perplexed. "What are you talking about?"

Mikan gritted her teeth. "Why don't you ask Eli?" She grabbed her bag and stormed past him. But Natsume grabbed her by the arm.

"I didn't flirt with the heiress, Mikan." He said.

"Oh yes of course. Tell that to her when you meet again." And she shook his hand away and flounced towards the staircase without giving a back glance at the boy who called her name.

Mikan stormed all the way to the rooftop that she almost hit Seiji when she arrived.

"Easy there!" Seiji said, holding her by the shoulder to keep her balance.

"Oh Seiji! I'm sorry." Mikan apologized, taking a step back.

"It's okay," he replied. "What's with the expression? You look like you got hit by a truck."

Mikan bit her lip to keep her from lashing out. Seiji noticed her expression and let out a deep sigh. "It's him again, isn't it?"

Mikan looked up at him in surprise. Seiji walked towards the edge and rested his elbows on the railing.

"Forget what I said. So what do you want to talk about?"

All of Mikan's anger subsided and guilt was left. Seiji's a nice person. She couldn't do this to him.

He spoke up again. "The day at the café… I'm sorry for acting so rude Mikan."

"What?"

He looked back at her and gave a rueful smile. "I'm sorry for making things complicated. But I just…" and he trailed off.

A cold breeze blew but Mikan took no notice of it. "Seiji, I… I'm here to give you my answer…"

The teenaged boy waited patiently in silence. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards him and stood in front, a ruler's distance.

"You're a really nice guy Seiji… and a good friend too. But… I don't share the same feelings you have for me… I'm sorry." She said. Mikan couldn't look at him as she said that so she kept her gaze on the ground, unaware of his expression.

Then to her surprise, Seiji suddenly chuckled. Mikan looked up at him and saw him grinning at her. "Well, that sucks. And here I was hoping there'd be 'chemistry' in biology…"

Mikan went red in embarrassment. "I'm really sorry. It's not because of Nat-"

"Ssh." Seiji placed a finger upon her lips to stop her from blabbering apologies. "It's okay Mikan, it's okay." He smiled a genuine smile at her.

Mikan looked cautious. "Are you sure you're okay?" she fiddled with her school blazer in nervousness.

Seiji laughed again. "I'll be fine if you say we're still friends even after all this,"

Mikan gave him a faint smile. "Of course."

Seiji smiled at her.

Then, for a short moment, they looked out at the town view in silence. The wind blew in one direction and the clouds accompanied it.

"But the question is, are _you_ okay Mikan?" Seiji asked seriously, looking at her with a worried expression on his face.

Mikan didn't know what to respond. In truth, she wasn't.

Why is it that every time things got better with Seiji, it became worse with Natsume?

Mikan didn't lie to him. "I don't know."

She was thankful she is friends with Seiji again.

But it felt horrible to arguing with her best friend, _again._

-

**--**

-

_Hey Nat! I have some concert tickets! Want to accompany me for this Saturday? Text back ASAP! –Eli_

Natsume lay on his bed, holding his cell phone on one hand. The lights of his bedroom were all closed and the curtains of his window drawn closed together. A faint light, coming from the hallway through the small opening below his door, lit his carpeted floor.

There was complete silence. And yet he could hear the beating of his heart.

Sighing deeply, he reread the text message Eli, he was surprised she knew his cell number, sent him an hour ago.

Finally making up his mind, he hit reply and typed:

_Ok. -N_

_-_

_-_

_**To be continued…**_

-

-

-

**The drama continues. -sigh- And here I was thinking this was going to be a lighthearted fanfic.**

**Well, first of all. A billion thanks to all those who reviewed. :) Even if it took time before I managed to write a decent (hopefully) chappie, my past readers still graced me a thoughtful review. **_**Thankies berry much.**_

**And yes, I plan to finish this fanfic this summer. I started this **_**last**_** summer, it's about time I finished it! I'll try to update once (or twice) a week.**

**Please leave a review and make my day. Thankies.**

**Later!**


	15. Chapter 13: StoleN

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN GAKUEN ALICE NOR THE NURSERY RHYMES I USED. DON'T SUE. :)**

**-**

**-**

_**Dedicated to **__**animefreak94296929, **_**The mind reader (; **

_**-**_

_**-**_

_**XoXo… CHAPTER THIRTEEN …oXoX**_

_**-**_

_**-Stolen-**_

_**-**_

_**-**_

_**-**_

"_You didn't tell me you studied at Gakuen Alice too!" Mikan said as she munched on a brownie. Tama-chan curled on her lap._

"_You didn't ask," Natsume replied, fiddling with the flashlight, the furniture cast a shadow around the room as the light hit the surface._

_Classes have ended, but the rainfall didn't cease. The two kids were currently in Mikan's room, lazing about under her blanket. For the past hour, they played together- pretending they were camping in the forest, Tama-chan as the wild bear in the woods. They tied the blanket onto the posts of her bed, kept a flashlight as their light, and ate brownies and cookies and drank a cup of warm milk. Mikan invited her friend over after school and surprisingly, Natsume complied. The awkward moments before, vanished. And only the two of them, including Tama-chan, existed in their made-up world._

_A while later, they grew tired and Misaki-san brought them the baked goods Himiko-san made especially for them. Listening to the raindrops pitter-patter against the window, they ate contentedly._

"_The brownies Himiko-obaasan made are delicious, aren't they?" Mikan asked._

"_Yeah," Natsume said, taking a bite himself. "Almost as good as my Mom's."_

_At the mention of the endearment, Mikan's eyes strayed to the book on her side table, only, she wasn't able to see it from inside the blanket._

_The little boy noticed the sad smile on his friend's face and scolded himself inwardly, for being so careless with his words._

"_So uh… have you finished reading the book your mother left with you?" he asked, rubbing his hand at the back of his head in discomfort._

_But at that, the brunette's face suddenly brightened up. "Wait here! I'll show it to you." And she crawled out of the made-up tent, waking up her cat._

_Tama-chan was annoyed and went towards Natsume side of the tent to continue its catnap._

_Mikan found her way back and sat next to Natsume, closer than he would've liked. Her pigtails brushed against his cheek but she was too caught up with the moment to notice. Natsume, however, slightly moved away, feeling a bit flustered._

"_Well I haven't really finished reading all of it but I kept browsing for random rhymes from time to time. I'll show you one of my favorites! Lemme see…" she scanned through the book, careful not to tear any pages._

_Natsume patiently watched from her shoulder._

"_Aha! Here it is!" and she shoved the open book towards his face._

"_The Queen of Hearts," Natsume read. "Typical you," he commented pushing it away._

_Mikan started to read it aloud, enthusiasm leaking in her voice._

"_The Queen of Hearts_

_Made some tarts_

_All on a summer's day._

_The Knave of Hearts_

_Stole the tarts_

_And took them right away!_

_The King of Hearts_

_Called for the tarts_

_And beat the knave full sore._

_The Knave of Hearts_

_Brought back the tarts_

_And vowed he'd steal no more."_

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-PRESENT TIME-**

**-**

**-**

A girl stared at the invitation she held "Isn't this…"

"…On the day of the concert?" continued her friend.

They looked at each other and frowned.

"So will you guys attend?" Ruka asked, standing before them, smiling. He had a handful of invitations in his hand. Hotaru stood by his shoulder, staring impassively.

The two girls were hesitant, Hotaru noticed, and she grinned in amusement. She could almost hear the thoughts going through their mind.

Then a tall girl approached them from behind and laid her arm on their shoulders, pulling them away. "Excuse us for a moment,"

Ruka blinked, confused. "Yeah sure," And he began to leaf through the pack on invitations he held.

Hotaru, however, stepped closer toward the girls who turned around, and began to eavesdrop.

"What are you guys thinking, making Ruka-sama wait like that?!" The tall girl hissed. "Go and tell him you're going!"

"But Sena-san! The party's the same day as-!" but the girl was cut off.

"I don't care! It's not often Ruka-sama invites us to parties! Don't you see how major this is!"

"But we already bought-!"

"Which is more important, the concert or an evening with Ruka-sama?" the tall girl asked. The two girls were done for, receiving the coup de grace. Hotaru smirked. Time for the RSVP.

At that moment, both girls turned and sauntered to Ruka, their eyes sparkling.

"Er… so are you coming?" he asked.

Both females nodded, their hands clasped in a praying position and tilted their heads saying "Gomennasai Ruka-sama! Sorry for making you wait!"

Before he could even reply, the girls ran off, leaving a sweatdropping Ruka and an amused Hotaru. The tall girl, however, stayed behind. When she caught Hotaru's eye, she gave her a thumbs-up and a wink.

They continued to distribute the invitations, inviting about half of the student body. Whenever the people were hesitant, the tall girl, whom Hotaru bribed always managed to change their minds and agree to come. They passed by their classroom as Mikan walked out of the classroom, Seiji by her side.

Mikan's face brightened upon seeing her friends. "Ne, Hotaru-chan, what's this party everyone's talking about?" she asked, stepping closer to her and hanging on to her arm affectionately.

Her mood, Hotaru noticed, improved after clearing things with Seiji, but not all the same because of the growing tension between her and Natsume.

Ruka turned towards them and handed an invitation each to Seiji and Mikan.

"The new lodge my family owns just opened up. We decided to have a party- overnight- this weekend." Ruka said as they read the invitations.

Seiji turned to look at Ruka but he caught Hotaru's eye… and decided to keep quiet.

"Sounds like fun!" Mikan said, getting excited. "Ne, Seiji?" but she saw that he was not listening.

"Seiji-kun?" Mikan said waving a hand in front of his face.

The silver haired lad blinked. "Oh, what?" he looked at Mikan who had a confused expression on her face.

Ruka noticed someone approach, he suddenly called out. "Natsume!" And the rest turned their gaze towards the teenage boy walking towards them, both his hands in his pockets. Mikan stiffened in place and both Hotaru and Seiji turned to look at her.

"Here!" And Ruka threw his invitation towards him like a paper airplane. Natsume took one hand out of his pocket and caught it midair.

"An invitation," the blonde boy said as Natsume stopped in front of him. "I'm having a party this weekend."

"I've heard," was Natsume's reply, meeting Mikan's gaze, looking impassive as ever.

The brunette felt a sudden pang of irritation, and Hotaru noticed this. Being acquainted with Mikan for quite a while now, she easily read her friend's reactions. Mikan spoke up. "So are you going to party?" she asked, a hint of bitterness in her tone.

Ruka and Hotaru became cautious, feeling a fight brewing. Natsume shrugged. "I bet you and Takaki will be there." He responded. Seiji glanced at the brunette.

Mikan bit her tongue. "Why don't you ask Seiji yourself? Since it's Ruka's party, of course I'll attend."

"I have no doubt you will," Natsume said. "It's you after all."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Anything you want," Natsume replied looking away, bored.

The students in the hallway watched them with interest. Hotaru pinched Ruka by the arm and the blonde tried intercept before someone blows up. "So are all of you going?" he asked.

Mikan turned to look at Seiji. "Are you going Seiji?" she asked.

"Well… I think so. I'm not sure how I'll get-"

"Then it settled!" Mikan said jovially. "You can go together with me!"

At that, all heads turned to look at Natsume who was impassive as ever. "Ruka, I'm not sure if I can go,"

The blonde boy looked disheartened. "You must go-"

The silent purple-eyed girl, to everyone's surprise- she noted, spoke up. "Why Hyuuga?" Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Natsume was silent for a while. "I… already have plans-"

"He probably has a date with Eli," Mikan suddenly piped up. At that, Natsume glared at her, showing emotion for the first time that day. Based on Hotaru's observation, Mikan noticed his 'cool facade' crumble, to both the brunette's satisfaction and disappointment- thinking she was probably right with her accusation. Hotaru shook her head discreetly.

The raven haired boy didn't say anything. This made Mikan more irritated.

"Well?" she tried to keep her voice from breaking but failed.

Natsume looked sideways, his bangs covering his mien. "What do you care?" he said coldly, his fists clenched at his sides.

_This is bad…_ The raven haired girl thought as she looked at Mikan, tears threatening to well up in her eyes. She decided to take hold of the situation but her friend spoke up.

"You're right," Mikan bent her head. "What do I care?" her voice quivered.

Hearing her voice break, Natsume turned to look at her. But Mikan stormed off saying "I'm going to visit You-chan!"

Seiji wanted to follow her but was stopped when Hotaru discreetly grabbed the hem of his blazer. Ruka looked at his best friend worriedly and reached out a hand towards but was stopped as Natsume suddenly faced him and said, "I'll be there." And walked the opposite direction Mikan took.

As soon as both teens were out of hearing range, Hotaru let out a sigh. Looking around, she addressed the other students who watched "There is nothing to see here." She said in a voice that branded her as 'Ice Queen.' The crowd quickly dispersed. She turned her attention to the silver haired teen standing beside her.

"Takaki, can you help us distribute the rest of the invitations?" she asked, taking the invitations from Ruka.

Seiji blinked, confused. Hotaru understood his expression- their friends are fighting yet here they were, distributing invitations.

"This is our plan." She said suddenly. Ruka looked at his girlfriend, surprised at what she said to the other guy.

But Hotaru knew Seiji understood it.

-

**--**

-

"Listen Tangerine," Youichi said, holding two cones of ice cream. "I know you're nice and all. But you suddenly treating me with two cones of ice cream- it's a sign that something is wrong."

"What are you talking about You-chan? Don't you like ice cream anymore?" Mikan asked, finishing her own. She reached for her wallet in her pocket to buy another cone but Youichi immediately handed his other one to her. She took it hesitantly.

"Tangerine," Youichi led her to one of the benches and they sat down. Mikan started licking her vanilla flavored ice cream with Youichi watching her.

"It's about Natsume-sempai, isn't it?" Youichi said. Mikan lowered her ice cream to her lap.

"Am I that easy to read, You-chan?" she asked, her voice full of melancholy.

'_Your moves and plans are so predictable…__'_

"Honestly," Youichi started on his own ice cream. "You are." Mikan didn't reply. She stared out into space, her mind blank.

The young boy let her muse while he ate his ice cream. The weather was getting cooler as the days passed, but he knew that this wasn't the reason why he didn't enjoy eating. Natsume-sempai and Tangerine often had squabbles but nothing this serious- he hoped not- until now. He glanced at the brunette, empty handed. He thought she finished her own cone but noticed the garbage can, not far from her side. Sighing, he asked her. "Is this about Takaki?"

Mikan shrugged. "Sorta… but not really."

"Then what's the reason?" when Mikan didn't answer, Youichi asked again. "Or is it- who's the reason?" And he noticed Mikan stiffen, yet she didn't reply.

Youichi frowned and scratched his head in exasperation. "Okay Tangerine, I'm gonna be really nosy, I'm warning you already,"

The brunette turned to look at him, she tilted her head sideways in confusion. Youichi fought a grin- her expression was so familiar to him, it was better than seeing her down in the dumps.

"Okay," taking a deep breath, he asked. "What do you feel for Natsume-sempai?" And Mikan's eyes widened, and felt her heart rate increase.

He could see she was at a loss for words.

"I… I…" she stammered. Youichi waited patiently for her answer. "Oh You-chan… I…"

She bit her lip, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't know…"

Youichi scooted close to her and began to stroke her hair gently, his voice trying to soothe her. This action reminded her much of Natsume that the tears she tried to control came pouring down. She buried her face on the crook of his neck.

-

**--**

-

It was a 2 hour trip from the city to the Nogi's forest lodge at the outskirts of town. Mikan smiled softly as Seiji stroked Tama-chan and her cat purred in content. As promised, she offered him a ride and back to the forest lodge- where they will stay overnight. But it surprised Mikan that Seiji already knew the way there, often directing the driver which path to take when encountering crossroads.

"My dad is one of the engineers who supervised in constructing the new lodge," he explained, idly fondling Tama-chan's ears. "I used to come up there with him in the past. Did you know there's a small village near? There's even a small library. I used to hang about there while my dad went to work."

Mikan smiled. "You seem really close with your Dad," she commented.

"Well, it's been just the two of us ever since," Seiji replied, smiling back at her. "But you know, there came a time when we were still living in Britain that he got a girlfriend," he said conversationally.

"Really? So you have a step mom now?" she asked, interested.

Seiji shook his head. "They dated for a while… she was okay… but then they realized that they didn't really love each other,"

Mikan was silent in her seat for a bit. "Is it because they argued?" she asked, her voice taking on a softer tone.

"Not really. They just decided to remain friends. I mean, yeah, they liked each other but they didn't love each other." He explained.

"Oh," was all Mikan could say. All of the sudden, Tama-chan leaped out from Seiji's lap and curled on Mikan's, rubbing its face on her open palm. The cat probably sensed her sudden melancholy mood. Mikan smiled softly.

Seiji noted this and decided to leave them in peace. He looked out of the window, and took notice of the trees they passed on the road.

"How… how does it feel to be in love?" she asked all of the sudden.

"Huh? I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. What is it?"

Mikan bit her lip, suddenly feeling very stupid for being so forward, especially towards the guy who confessed to her. "Nothing," she shook her head. "Nothing at all." And she too, looked out her window, noticing the disappearance of the urban buildings to greenery. Leaving the city after school, it was already twilight, and she knew that when they reached their destination in about half an hour, the forest would be darker. Knowing that Natsume was sure to attend the party, she hoped that in the dim light, her emotions remain hidden to others…

"_Honestly, you are."_

… just before she discovers what it really is.

-

**--**

-

The new lodge owned by the Nogis was half the size of the Sakura Mansion, which is still pretty big considering the sizes of both structures. It served as a rest house for the well-to-do owners and also an establishment for those who wished to rent the premises. That evening, it was a party scene. The outside garden, one of the 3 that surrounded the place, was decorated with lanterns and streamers on the trees and the tables glowed with small, scented candles in the middle of a bouquet as the centerpiece. At the side is a buffet, and the servers wore a semi-formal suit, all standing in attention. And beside the buffet is a mini bar, but the bartender was given strict orders not to serve alcohol. Across them is the sound system, where a DJ stood, ready to please the crowd. The lodge is a three-storey building, 50 bedrooms with personal baths, 3 kitchens and 5 dining rooms, 7 recreational rooms- 2 with indoor pools, and an open rooftop equipped with telescopes for stargazing and binoculars to view the mountainside. It was built and opened to the public about 2 months ago, unknown to those invited who thought the event was an opening of the establishment.

The guests, mostly high school students from Gakuen Alice, were starting to arrive in pairs or in groups. The attendants were all over the place, trying to serve the guests who have just arrived. The staff were busy attending to the needs of the visitors, but in one of the recreational rooms, a private part of the lodge reserved for the Nogi family, a group of teens were also occupied- in planning.

"Where's Mikan?" Hotaru, the mastermind, asked the silver haired teen.

Seiji wasn't originally part of the 'team', composed of Hotaru, Ruka and Youichi, whose purpose was to bring Natsume and Mikan together. But after Hotaru told him of their plan, when he found a flaw to their excuse of a party, it came to a surprise to all of them that he would want to help.

"In her room, changing," Seiji replied.

"Right," she turned towards her boyfriend who looked anxious. "Natsume?" she inquired.

Ruka swallowed. "Well… he's…"

"Please tell me Natsume-sempai is coming," Youichi moaned.

"He is! He is!" Ruka assured. "It's just that… he's bringing along a guest…"

"It's Eli, isn't it?" Hotaru asked, though she was already sure of her guess.

Ruka nodded miserably. Hotaru sighed and rubbed her right temple with her fingers, trying to stay calm. Youichi groaned, but only Seiji was confused.

"Eli? Who's Eli?" Seiji asked, when no one answered, he tried to guess. "Natsume's girlfriend?"

Youichi exclaimed "Hell no!"

"The heiress who seems to have a crush on Hyuuga," Hotaru answered.

"Oh," he said. "And Mikan is jealous of this heiress,"

Ruka shrugged. "It seems so."

"Why is he bringing her?" Youichi asked Ruka.

The blonde teen sighed before answering. "The heiress invited Natsume to the concert, he cancelled on her but he didn't tell her of the party. She found out about it somehow and she invited herself,"

"She sounds like a real bi-" but Hotaru cut Youichi off.

"We know. Now, there's a change of plans," And she explained to them her new scheme. No one interrupted while she spoke.

"Any questions?" Hotaru asked when she finished. But before anyone could inquire, the door opened and Mikan walked in, wearing a yellow, sleeveless dress-shirt and Bermuda shorts. Tama-chan sauntered beside her, breaking into a run as it saw Youichi.

"There you guys are! I've been looking all over the place!" she said as she scurried towards them, oblivious of their uneasy faces. "Cozy place Ruka! Oh, and more guests have arrived, they're looking for you too."

Ruka's painted smile twitched. "Really," he anxiously stood up. "Well, we better go down and uh… welcome the guests. I'll head down first," and he hurriedly exited the room.

When he was out of earshot, Mikan spoke up. "Poor Ruka. It must be really hard hosting a party," she sat down on the armchair Ruka vacated beside Hotaru. "So what are you guys doing?"

"Just chillin'," Youichi lied, petting the cat who settled on his lap. "So you wanna play some parlor games with me, Tangerine?"

"Shouldn't we be down at the party-" but Hotaru cut her off by standing up.

"I'll be with Ruka, you guys stay here and I'll just call you when the party's starting," she said, eyeing Seiji and Youichi who both nodded and said no more.

"Don't you need help in-?"

"No. Stay here and I'll be back." She said to Mikan who immediately shut up.

Hotaru nodded and headed downstairs, where she saw Ruka by the doorway, fidgeting as he welcomed the guests. She discreetly walked towards him and stood by his side. Ruka, who just noticed her presence, jumped a bit.

"Well?" she whispered to him as she nodded at her classmates who just arrived.

"They're here," he whispered back to her. "In the garden."

"Hn." She said and left his side. She went to the gardens, immediately spotting Natsume surrounded by the guests. A girl was beside him, who stood out of the crowd because of her blonde hair and unfamiliar face, she recognized the girl as Eli Pullman, the heiress. Hotaru took a drink from the waiter and continued to observe them from a far. Eli was amidst the crowd, talking vibrantly and constantly turning towards Natsume, touching his shoulder and acting as if she was closer to him than his classmates, who surrounded them. The raven haired girl immediately felt dislike towards the heiress, who acted haughty. She turned her attention towards Natsume, who just stood there with his hands in his pocket, looking bored. And yet she noticed that he was constantly looking around, scanning the crowd for someone.

Finishing her drink, she took out her cell phone from the pocket of her dark peasant skirt and texted a message to Seiji.

_In the garden. Don't let her see them or vice versa. Tell Youichi to come down and get you drinks._

She pocketed her cell phone and walked back to Ruka, bringing him a drink. Their plan will just have to wait, she decided.

-

**--**

-

"Shouldn't we head down now?" Mikan said as she spared glance outside the window.

"Hotaru-sempai said she'll fetch us," Youichi replied, picking up a card from the deck.

"Maybe she forgot about us," she suggested setting down her Jack of Spades.

"I don't think Imai-san forgets that easily," Seiji said, keeping his eyes on his cards as he rearranged them.

"Yeah, you should know that Tangerine." Youichi said, agreeing with Seiji. Tama-chan rubbed against his leg, purring.

"I know, I know. It's just that-" but she was cut off as Seiji cell phone beeped.

"Oh, excuse me." And he faced back, reading the text message- the one Hotaru sent.

"Is it from Hotaru?" Mikan asked peering from his behind his shoulder. Seiji blocked the screen with his palm.

"Oh uh, no. It's my Dad er… just asking me how I am. Uh, Youichi, do you think you can get us some drinks?"

The young boy looked up at him in confusion. "Huh? Why me?"

Seiji frowned at him. And Youichi suddenly stood up, remembering their plan. "Oh uh, yeah, sure. You uh… want something, Mikan?"

The brunette blinked in confusion at what her kouhai called her. Youichi cursed himself inwardly, for being so nervous.

"Are you okay You-chan? You seem… tense," Mikan said worriedly. "Why don't I get the drinks-"

"NO!" both boys exclaimed and startled her.

"I uh… need to go to the bathroom anyways… so… what'll it be?" the younger asked.

"I'll have coke." She replied simply, still puzzled at their reactions.

"Make that 2 cokes." Seiji said.

Youichi nodded. "Be back in a flash." And he sprinted out, unconscious of the cat following him.

Once he closed the door behind him, he opened his cell phone to see the forwarded message from Seiji. Youichi pocketed his cell phone and tried to look calm as he trudged down the stairs to the garden. Tama-chan followed soundlessly from behind, catching stares as they passed.

"2 Cokes and Sprite please." Youichi said to the bartender. As the guy fetched his drink, Youichi leaned back on the counter and watched the guests. The DJ played an upbeat tune and he could see the guests were enjoying themselves. He saw Ruka and Hotaru standing side by side talking to their friend Yuu Tobita, along with other people whom he doesn't know by name but was familiar with their faces. Hotaru caught his eye and she nudged her head towards a table where most of the guests crowded. Youichi had to get closer to see amidst the crowd. He saw his sempai, Natsume, sitting down in the middle, idly sipping his drink whereas the blonde girl, whom he recognized as the heiress, beside him was chattering loudly. He peered in closer to get a better view of the heiress. She was pretty, he had to admit, but by the way she addressed the crowd, you could see she was very arrogant and showy.

Youichi frowned. He looked back at Natsume and wondered why he even bothered with her. Unfortunately, the raven haired teen noticed someone stare at him from a far and before the young boy could look away, he caught his eye.

Youichi froze in place, uncertain what to do. Then all of a sudden, he heard a girl shriek. He managed to break the gaze and hurriedly turned back to the bar, got his drinks, re-entered the lodge and hastily climbed up the stairs.

But as he trudged up, careful not to spill the drinks, he saw a panicking Mikan descend down the stairs with a tense Seiji following closely behind her.

"Tama-chan's escaped!" she said.

They heard another shriek and looked out towards the window, showing the garden. The cat was in the middle of the crowd, and 3 female girls screamed as it approached. Their voices scared the poor cat and it ran away, also frightening the other guests.

-

**--**

-

Natsume promptly stood up as he saw Youichi turn away. He ignored Eli's shrill voice as she called him back and moved his way out of the crowd. He was so determined to catch up with his kouhai that he ignored the sudden shrieks around him.

"Nat! Hey Nat! Wait up!" he knew Eli was close on his heels so he moved away faster, wanting to get rid of her as soon as possible.

To his irritation and confusion, the crowd seemed to be frantic, and unfortunately, he lost track of Youichi as he entered the lodge again.

The feminine shrieks were so loud that he didn't hear Eli's voice anymore. Turning around to see the cause of the commotion, the crowd began to back up and a few bumped into him. He squeezed himself past the other teens towards the direction they all looked. He reached the end of the mob and saw Mikan's cat, Tama-chan, running around, apparently frightened by all the people and the screaming girls.

"Nat!" Eli reached his side. "Where are you- kya!" she screamed, her mouth near his ears. The cat ran towards Natsume, seeing a familiar face but the blonde girl thought it was going to attack her. Her shriek was so high-pitched that Natsume clasped a hand on her mouth, the girl however, thought he was protecting her and buried her face in his arms.

"Tama-chan!" Mikan called her cat, emerging from the crowd with Youichi beside her, Seiji went to find Ruka and Hotaru. The cat immediately turned to the sound of her voice and ran to her outstretched arms. Mikan cuddled her cat and sighed in relief. She looked up and saw Natsume with Eli in his arms. Her eyes widened at the sight and unconsciously stopped stroking her cat.

Natsume caught her eye and immediately pushed Eli away, and hurried towards her.

"Is Tama-chan alright?" he asked as he arrived in front of her.

Mikan just looked up at him, feeling hurt all of a sudden. Hotaru then stood beside her and placed a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Let's get to-"

"Is that your cat, Mikan?" Natsume looked behind him and saw Eli standing there, her eyebrows furrowed. "My god! Keep it away! It frightened half the guests!"

Natsume immediately turned towards her to defend his best friend but Youichi beat him to it.

"Yes of course, it was such a wild beast sending half of the people here to the hospital petrified." Youichi said sardonically.

"You're just a kid," Eli said eyeing him from head to toe. "Who are you to speak to-"

"And what about you?" It was Hotaru who intervened. "You're not on the guest list." Her voice was hard and cold, enough to intimidate anyone.

But the heiress didn't seem daunted at all. "I'm with Nat." she said simply, putting a hand on his shoulder. Natsume shrugged it away and looked back at Mikan. To his surprise, she didn't look distressed anymore but indignant.

"Yes, Eli's a friend," she spoke up, to everyone's surprise. "Forgive me, Eli. Don't' worry, we won't bother you anymore." She turned to look at Natsume first before leaving, the crowd parting as she walked away.

Natsume tried to go after her but Hotaru stood in his way. "Not now." she said coldly and went after the brunette. Youichi cast him a disappointed gaze before leaving as well.

Natsume watched them depart, clenching his fists in frustration. He saw Ruka and Seiji approach them from inside the lodge. Mikan handed Tama-chan to Seiji and rushed inside, not looking back.

-

**--**

-

She just lay on her bed, trying to calm herself from beneath the covers.

Outside, she heard Ruka and Youichi knocking, calling out to her. But she ignored them. Tama-chan was in safe hands with Seiji, she wanted to be alone and just think for now.

"_What do you feel for Natsume-sempai?"_ She remembered Youichi's question, and up to now, it nagged in her mind.

Earlier today, when Youichi went out to get drinks, Seiji told her about his experiences in Britain. About how he met a girl his age and befriended her for two years. But when he they reached middle school, they didn't see each other ever again. Mikan noticed the small smile he had on his face when he told her about his friend. She asked him if he loved her. Seiji said he didn't know. _"I was just a kid,"_ he said to her.

Mikan buried her face in her pillow. Shutting off all the sounds that came from outside.

Could that be what she was feeling for Natsume? Love?

She wasn't certain.

But one thing's for sure, Eli is trying to steal her best friend away from her.

_-_

_-_

_**To be continued…**_

-

-

-

**Sorry for the late update. This chapter is the longest one I made so far… so yeah, it took some time to get it all together.**

**A lot of you have asked, What's with Natsume? You'll find out soon :) And as for the pompous heiress, Eli… there's more to her than just a… well, a flirt. And the cute Ren and Ayu? They'll be back in the next chapter!**

**Leave a review and make my day! :) Thank you!**


	16. Chapter 14: Falling For You

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN GAKUEN ALICE NOR THE NURSERY RHYMES I USED. DON'T SUE. :)**

_**-**_

_**-**_

_**XoXo… CHAPTER FOURTEEN …oXoX**_

_**-**_

_**-Falling For You-**_

_**-**_

_**-**_

-

"_Hickory Dickery Dock_

_The mouse climbed up the clock_

_The clock struck one_

_The mouse fell down_

_Hickory Dickery Dock!"_

_Mikan read aloud, her arms resting on the pillow in front of her where the book also lay._

"_I'm bored already," Natsume complained, playing with Tama like a puppeteer would do to his puppet doll._

_The two kids idly read some nursery rhymes to keep them away from boredom for the past hour until they were interrupted by a phone call. A few minutes ago, Natusme's mother called him. It was almost dinnertime but the little boy stubbornly refused to come home. And Mikan was glad he'll be eating dinner with her for her Father will not be able to dine with her that evening. But after hearing his last comment, she suddenly felt uncertain of his stay._

"_But you will stay for dinner," she asked, almost pleading. "Right?"_

_To her relief, the boy nodded- but without looking at her. The things they used during their camping play were already cleared up after they finished their snack. Unfortunately, the battery of the flashlight they used in their play didn't last that long. For now, the two kids lounged on the bed, with the lamp on the side table on. The rain, which turned out to be a product of the monsoon season- according to Grandma Himiko though both didn't understand what she meant- didn't falter but in fact, it seemed to rain harder._

"_What do you usually do during rainy days?" Mikan asked._

_Natsume just shrugged. "Lots of fun stuff," but he didn't add that he mostly spent time with his mom. "What about you?"_

"_I usually help out in the kitchen in preparing meals," Mikan said jovially. "I'm not that big of help, but I always get a scoop of ice cream afterwards."_

_He raised his eyebrow in irony. "Ice cream when it's raining?" he scoffed. "You're weird."_

_Mikan stuck out her tongue at him. "You're just jealous." She proclaimed._

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-PRESENT TIME-**

**-**

**-**

The amethyst-eyed girl stared at the pen of her mentor, who tapped it on the desk listlessly. For about an hour and a half, she, together with Miss Jess Will, a journalist for the local paper who was assigned to 'watch over' Hotaru- a junior correspondent, had waited for Mr. Conrad Pullman- the interviewee- to arrive at their meeting place, at Sheldon Café found at one of the malls at Mapledukes.

When she found out that she was going to be the junior of the well-known journalist, Hotaru was thrilled- though she didn't exactly show it. But knowing that she was going to be up close with Mr. Pullman, whose daughter was apparently antagonizing the relationship of her close friends, her day has gotten a whole lot better.

Up until now, that is.

"I don't care if he's an international big shot," she heard Miss Will say, though probably to herself the most. "It's very rude to keep people waiting, rich or not."

"Hotaru-san," she suddenly called out and the teenage girl looked at her. "10 more minutes and we're off this joint."

Hotaru just gave a nod in reply. She could've walked out of this café an hour ago if she was not in the presence of her admired mentor and if it wasn't someone she was _interested_ in. She was curious if the _big shot dawg _was the same as his _biatch of a daughter._

The clock is ticking and only 5 more minutes left. The raven haired girl looked outside the glass window taking up most of the wall. She scanned the crowd idly, searching for a bulgy man with light blonde hair and blue eyes, just as Mikan described him. And to her surprise, she found one, looking as smug as his daughter (if he really is Mr. Pullman), and relaxed too, as if he wasn't aware of his tardiness. So it came no surprise to her that the man headed towards the café, dressed in a semi-formal suit, with his roughish looking bodyguard beside him.

But Miss Will was unknown of this fact and stood up to leave the same time the men entered the café.

"Wait," Hotaru said, the first words she ever said to her mentor that day. "They're here."

And the two men strolled towards them. Hotaru stood up beside the journalist.

"Ah, Miss Will," Mr. Pullman pulled out his hand from his pocket to shake. "A pleasure to meet you. Sorry for the delay."

"Charmed. We were beginning to think you would never arrive." Miss Will replied, sarcasm dripping in her voice. Hotaru looked up at her in admiration.

To that Mr. Pullman just chuckled and his eyes trailed downwards toward her.

"My junior, Hotaru Imai. A talented student from Gakuen Alice," Miss Will introduced and Hotaru shook hands with him.

"Ah yes, I've heard of that school. Very nice to meet you Miss Imai. You're about the same age as my daughter, I presume." Mr. Pullman said.

"My Felicity," he continued as they sat down. "Is also fond of journalism. She's quite good at it you know," Hotaru had a sudden urge to roll her eyes but stopped herself.

"You could be friends," he said. "She's actually transferring to Gakuen Alice after Winter break."

And this stumped her for a second.

"I'm sure she's as good as you say she is, sir." Hotaru replied. _Though I seriously doubt that we could be friends... even more now… _She thought.

"Yes," he said, looking thoughtful. "Well, let's start with the interview proper, shall we? I'm a very busy man." He added haughtily.

"Yes of course," Miss Will said. "But would you like anything to drink first? This might take a while,"

And it did. For about 2 hours at least. But Hotaru didn't pay the least attention. Her mind was far away, and Mr. Pullman's words- _"She's actually transferring to Gakuen Alice after Winter break."_- kept echoing as thoughts.

But that was until she heard _her._

-

**--**

-

"You don't seem to be in a good mood," Seiji commented as Youichi yawned and stretched on the bench beside him.

"Sundays are for sleeping till the Monday sun is up." The little boy replied idly and slouched back.

Yesterday, both received a call from Ruka, telling them to meet up at the park before lunch. His girlfriend told them they were going to meet up with some important people. They didn't know who they were but they had an idea it was related to the whole Natsume-and-Mikan thing.

Seiji was the first to arrive at their meeting place by the hotdog stand. A few minutes later, Youichi arrived looking disgruntled at his lack of sleep. They sat on the bench in silence, but neither felt uncomfortable at it. The little boy, who had felt immense dislike towards the silver haired teen in the first place, thought he was okay now… in fact, he seemed quite nice to him. Youichi knew he liked Tangerine, and Seiji admitted it on the day he joined their secret 'group'. But the teen was kind enough to help. His words were _"I still like Mikan. But I realized she's better off with him. They suit each other, now that I think of it."_ And Youichi didn't doubt his motives anymore.

"Look, Ruka's here." Seiji said, standing up. He ran towards them but without Hotaru by his side.

"Hey guys," the blonde greeted, panting a little.

Both just nodded. "Where's Hotaru-sempai?" Youichi asked.

"There's been a change of meeting spot. She's at the toy store with Ren and Ayu. We better get there," Ruka said. "Let's go."

"Wait a second, who's Ren and Ayu?" Youichi asked.

"Ren Kirasaki and Ayu Pullman," Ruka said. "They're-"

But Seiji cut him off. "Wait. Ayu _Pullman?_" he asked, a bit startled.

"Yeah," Ruka nodded. "She's Eli Pullman's-"

"- the evil heiress-" Youichi commented.

"- younger sister." Ruka finished. "Why? Do you know her?"

"Eli Pullman is the evil heiress?" Seiji was stumped for a second. "As in Felicity Pullman?"

"What's with you? You look like you've seen a ghost- wait. That's exaggerating too much."

But Seiji ignored Youichi's comment. His mind was in a whirl and memories kept coming back… Memories of the little chubby girl he used to play with in the past…

"Takaki, do you know the Pullmans?" Ruka asked, realization dawning on his face.

Seiji could only nod in reply. "I've met Felicity Pullman when I was studying in Britain."

Unlike with Natsume's case, Seiji's acquaintance with the heiress became a big advantage.

-

**--**

-

_Okay. _Mikan thought, giving herself a pep talk as she got out of the car. _I'm here. There's no turning back now._

She straightened her white sleeveless blouse and walked towards the front door, clutching the shoulder straps of her small knapsack tightly, trying to ease her nerves.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her hand to the door…

… and it opened up to reveal one of the Hyuuga sons.

Only, he wasn't the one she was looking for.

"Mikan-chan?" Tsubasa blinked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Tsubasa-niisan…" her throat felt dry and Mikan didn't know what to say. She rehearsed all the things she was going to say to Natsume last night… but she wasn't prepared for this.

"Natsume's out," he said, and her stomach gave a little lurch. "It's a Sunday so I thought he'd be with you."

"Really… well that's… too bad…" she bit her lip, looking down at her Chucks in disappointment.

He opened the door wider. "Why don't you come-" but Mikan started to blabber before he could finish.

"Oh no no no!" she said, waving her hands in front of him frantically. "I-I better go. It was stupid of me not to call in the first place."

Tsubasa just stared at her, a bit confused. Mikan was never this uneasy with him before. And Natsume…

"Well, I'll be off. Goodbye Tsubasa-niisan-" But she stopped when he suddenly grabbed hold of her arm.

"Mikan-chan, can we talk first?" his gaze on her was so penetrating; it reminded her much of Natsume's crimson eyes…

"Bu-but it seemed as if you're going out…" Mikan said, eyeing the camera dangling on his neck.

"Oh, maybe next time," he said lightly. "But wait, do you have any plans?"

"Well… not really…"

"Then we can talk." He declared. His tone was so final, she couldn't oppose any more. He gestured her to come in and she complied, hesitantly.

"Have you had lunch already?" he asked.

Mikan shook her head timidly. Tsubasa smiled. "Well I hope you fancy spaghetti."

-

**--**

-

The plan went like this: Seiji, together with Ren and Ayu, will distract Eli for today, and hopefully- even if it's a small chance according to the two kids- manage to change her mind about Natsume. After all, Seiji was the childhood friend… much like Natsume is to Mikan. Meanwhile, Ruka and Youichi will be in charge of Natsume. It wasn't a problem to meet up with him because according to Ruka, Natsume wanted to meet up with him that day in the first place. That leaves Mikan in Hotaru's hands.

It seemed like a bulletproof plan. That was until Hotaru received a call from Miss Will telling her to help out with the article for the paper. And also, Mikan was out of the house when Hotaru called to check on her. She tried to contact her through her cell phone but it seems her phone was turned off, for none of her messages reached her.

"Where could she be?" Ayu thought out loud worriedly as Himasaki-san drove her together with Seiji and Ren to Mapledukes where she was staying.

"Maybe she's out shopping," Ren suggested. "That's what you girls mostly do anyway."

"But Mikan-neechan is-"

"No need to worry, Ayu-chan," Seiji interrupted. "Imai-san will find her, I assure you." But even he couldn't stop and worry for the brunette as well, though he didn't show it in front of the kids.

After a hearty lunch, the group went separate ways. Ren and Ayu, bringing Seiji along, was to go back to Mapledukes after 'looking around the toy store'- the excuse she told her parents. Hotaru went off to meet Miss Will, saying she'll go and find Mikan afterwards. And Ruka and Youichi headed to where they'll meet Natsume, hurrying because they were already half an hour late.

"So Seiji-niisan," Ren started conversationally. "Are you excited to meet the hag heiress?" he teased.

Seiji chuckled. "I'm sure she won't like you if you called her that."

"She already doesn't like me," Ren said indifferently. "Right, Ayu-chan?"

The little girl nodded. "She really changed a lot from when you last met her." Ayu said sadly.

"How did you meet anyway?" Ren asked.

Seiji looked thoughtful for a second. "At a playground in the park," he said. "When she escaped from her guardians." He added, grinning.

"She must have been really different from back then," Ren said. "You wouldn't want to be friends with her now."

"Aren't you going to defend your sister, Ayu-chan?" Seiji teased playfully.

The little girl just blushed. She looked down at her clasped hands and said. "She's really different now, Sei-chan." Her voice was really soft when she spoke. Seiji couldn't help but smile at the nickname she called him from all those years…

"Hey isn't that- Stop the car Himasaki-san!" Ren shouted and the car stopped to a halt. Seiji looked over to where he was looking, and his eyes widened in surprise.

His old playmate, Felicity Pullman, sat crossed legged in one of the chairs outside a café, busy with her phone.

Her looks had changed a lot, from the small and chubby little girl he used to play with, to a teenage girl- looking much like her mother.

But it wasn't her appearance that startled her. For on the table beside her was an ashtray. Putting her cell phone beside it, she took a cigarette and began to smoke.

She changed that much.

To both Ren and Ayu's surprise, Seiji stepped out of the car and strode towards Eli, who was too busy to notice someone walk towards her.

Seiji stopped directly in front of her, grabbed the cigarette from her hand, threw it on the ground and stomped on it.

"Hey what the fu-!" Eli looked up and saw Seiji, a grim expression on his face. She was too surprised to say anything else.

"Is that my greeting, Felicity?" Seiji raised an eyebrow at her. Behind him, Ren and Ayu stood; a bit surprised at the way he talked to her.

"It couldn't be…" shock was written all over her face. "Sei-chan?"

Seiji smirked and stepped back. "I never thought Felicity, the fairy princess, smokes." He said sardonically.

"What- what are you doing here?" she asked, standing up.

"Keeping a leash on you."

-

**--**

-

Natsume rotated the can of coke mindlessly as he waited, sitting on the steps of the National Museum. He glanced at his watch briefly, and then resumed to watch street performers, mostly magicians, entertain a crowd of children with their parents or nannies. When the magican finished pulling out different colored handkerchief from his gloved fist, the audience clapped and threw coins into the magician's top hat as he bowed.

Then he felt people sit on his sides.

"Is this why you called me? To watch a magician perform or to go to the museum?" Ruka, sitting on his right, asked, amused.

"New interests Natsume-sempai?" Youichi, on his left, asked.

"So you're here too." Natsume said to his kouhai. It didn't mind him that they were about an hour late. It was even a miracle that they met up with him… considering what happened at the party…

"If it concerns you and Tangerine, I'm game." He replied.

Natsume raised his eyebrow. "What makes you think this concerns Mikan?"

"Well, what is 'this' anyway?" Ruka interrupted.

"This," Natsume said, standing up and walking down the steps. "Is the way to arcade that just opened up." And he threw his empty can of coke on the trashcan at the end of the railing.

Both Ruka and Youichi looked at him, confused.

"Aren't you guys too rich enough to play in an arcade?" the younger commented.

"I have an Xbox and a PS3 at my house in case you're tired of Wii…" Ruka said.

Natsume just shrugged and stuck both his hands in the pocket of his jeans. "Just trying something new…"

But Ruka and Youichi just continued to stare at him dumbfounded.

"… it's not as if I have anything else to do." And at that, both boys suddenly cracked and stood up.

"What do you mean by that?" Ruka said outraged.

"Why don't you talk to Tangerine! Don't you know how miserable she's been!" Youichi exclaimed at him.

A few passers-by stared at them, also the people who entered and exited the museum.

Natsume was surprised. They were even joking around with him moments ago… He didn't realize they were so worked up about…

"What happened to you Natsume? How can you do that to her?" Ruka said, clenching his fists at his side.

"Ruka…" Natsume started. "This isn't the place-"

"Do you seriously like that heiress?" Youichi glared at him. Never had he seen his kouhai so aggravated before.

Natsume frowned. But he held Youichi's glare.

"No." he answered.

"Well Mikan gets the wrong idea. If you just try to talk to her-"

"She doesn't want to talk to me right now." Natsume replied, remembering the way she looked at him that night.

Youichi groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh cut out the drama will you!"

This caused Natsume, who felt really guilty though not showing it, to raise his eyebrows at him, finding his reaction droll.

"Do you know that we- Hotaru, me, Youichi and even Takaki- are doing our best to get you guys together," Ruka said, startling Natsume a bit at his outburst.

"The party was all a set up to bring you guys together," Youichi said. "But it all went wrong in the end because of that bitch."

The raven haired teen just stood there, not meeting their eyes, silent- not knowing what to say or how to react. His friends just stood there as well, looking down at him. A few people even stopped to see what will happen next, not that the three boys cared anymore.

After a while, Natsume broke the ice. "I'm sorry," he said.

Ruka shook his head. "It's not us you should apologize to,"

"… I know… it's just that… " he clenched his fist in his pocket tighter. "I just need time. I thought she understood me why I kept putting up with that heiress…" his voice was so low that they barely heard him.

"_I thought she knew…" _He wanted to say out loud but stopped himself.

And a few hours later, they found themselves in the arcade, playing against their opponents. They were guys after all, and all the emotion-talking isn't really their forte. But amidst the sound of gun shots and profanities inside the arcade, Youichi managed to tell his sempai.

"She told me she doesn't know what she feels about you," he said, his eyes on the game. "I wonder, what about you?"

But Natsume couldn't answer him right away. Though Youichi and Ruka, who overheard him, could pretty much guess it.

-

**--**

-

"It'll be alright, Mikan-chan," Tsubasa comforted as her playfully ruffled her hair, like what he does to his younger brother.

"Tsubasa-niisan…" she couldn't look him in the eye, especially after what happened that afternoon. "I… thank you… for letting me uh… bawl on you earlier…" Mikan felt her cheeks go red.

The older guy chuckled. "No, thank you. Natsu-chan's been off-color these few days. And you know guys don't talk about stuff like this with each other." He grinned at her.

After lunch, Tsubasa asked Mikan all sorts of questions about Natsume's behavior lately. At first, she was hesitant to answer him, feeling terribly shy and thinking about her best friend's reaction if his older brother knew. But soon, the defensive wall cracked and she began to tell him all about her mixed emotions, with sometimes tears dripping from her amber eyes. Tsubasa listened to her patiently and tried to comfort her.

"Well," he said as they stood by the front door as Mikan's ride entered through the gate. "From what I understood, I think Natsume doesn't like that heiress at all. Trust me on that."

Mikan looked up at him, a bit confused. Tsubasa just grinned at her.

"And," he continued as the car pulled up in front of them. "Whatever you feel from my little brother, I'm sure- very sure- that he returns your feelings."

Mikan was startled at first, but after seeing Tsubasa's comforting smile, she was sure…

… she believed him.

"Thank you, Tsubasa-niisan," and like what the old, carefree Mikan would do, she hugged him in gratitude.

He was surprised at first, but returned her sentiment, patting her back. It lasted only for about 2 seconds and she pulled away, her trademark Mikan-smile painted on her face.

"You're welcome," he replied and Mikan bowed to him before getting into the car. Tsubasa closed the door for her, the window rolled down.

"Take care, kid." He said. "And give my love to Misaki." He winked.

Mikan giggled. "Yes, I will. And I'll tell her that Tsubasa-niisan isn't really a jerk as she thinks. Though it's also partly your fault for harassing her with a dozen roses," she replied.

"How can a dozen roses torture somebody?" he said, giving a mock-sigh.

And the car drove off.

_It'll be alright now. _She thought happily and made herself more comfortable in her seat.

_It's confusing at first… but thanks to Tsubasa-niisan… I'm sure…_

**--x--x--x**

The raven haired boy watched as his older brother and best friend embraced.

She saw her smile… her trademark smile that brightened his day, whenever she graced him with it. It was the same smile, all those years ago, that captured his attention…

As he watched her car drive away, his mind floated to the question his kouhai asked him earlier that day…

And he knew what his answer is… He knew it months ago… And it worried him, upon realization, and tried to deny it at first… but now, Natsume was sure.

"_You're just jealous." _

And it was because of jealousy that he realized it.

_I'm in love with my best friend. _He thought.

**--x--x--x**

_I'm in love with my best friend. _She thought.

And wasn't alarmed by that fact. Maybe because, deep down, she already knew it long ago.

In the past, all she ever wanted was to be his best friend. Wherever he went, she followed. That's why she was so worried about him and Eli. She thought she was loosing him… drifting far away from her…

But she got it all wrong. He wasn't taking a step away from her.

_The clock struck one_

She was just falling in love.

And for all the tears she shed for him… she knew she _fell_ really hard.

-

**--**

-

"Hotaru-san," Miss Will called her. "Give the hard copy to Mr. Rizaki- room 7, 4th floor- and the soft copy down to Jenna in the copyreader section. You may go afterwards,"

Hotaru took the folder and the USB from her, bowed politely and exited her office, finally finishing the article- Mr. Pullman's interview- for tomorrow's paper.

She walked out into the hallway where a couple of people hurriedly walked past her towards the elevator that opened up. Unfortunately, it was already full so she had to wait for the next lift.

Hotaru decided to read the article while she waited. Mr. Pullman, as she deduced through his answers, was an ambitious man. He said, that he planned to merge with one of the major companies here in Japan, though no official announcement to which company has been made.

The elevator door opened and she stepped inside accompanied by only 3 people. She was on the 14th floor, and soon she was only left inside with a drowsy and phlegmy-looking (much to Hotaru's disgust) woman, holding a cup of coffee from Starbucks in one hand and a bunch of folders tucked under her arm.

The elevator stopped to the woman's floor and the door opened. A man hurriedly walked in as the woman was about to exit. They bumped into each other and the woman's folders fell onto the floor.

This awakened the woman a bit, Hotaru noted, as she bent down to help, the man apologizing profusely. Hotaru picked up the pieces of paper that were scattered on the floor. It was a bunch of newspaper clippings, on business, pasted on bond papers. One caught her eye- it was a graph of the finances of 7 major companies in Japan. The Twilight Corporation was leading, next to the Silver Lining Corporation with a difference of 5.8.

Then she remembered Mr. Pullman's words, about merging with a major company…

_It couldn't be…_ she thought.

It wasn't only her friends' relationship that was in trouble after all…

-

-

_**To be continued…**_

_**-**_

_**-**_

**Thankies 'berry' much for your reviews! Bear hugz for you guys! I hope you leave a review for this chappie as well. :)**

**Well, it's coming to an end… I think only 4 more chapters to go or so… and well, was that a sudden twist in the story? (winks to**** animefreak94296929****)**


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